


New Life

by inspiredminds12



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Des Styles - Freeform, Fluffiness all around, Gen, Head Injury, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-09 12:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 91,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/774055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inspiredminds12/pseuds/inspiredminds12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Find out how One Direction adjusts to the new dynamics in their friendship after a accident changes one of the boys forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are two things that I am passionate about in this world. They are writing and children with special needs, actually just children in general. I have spent a lot of years volunteering with children with special needs and had so many memorable experiences with them that I couldn’t help but share. What better way than turning some of those special moments into stories. Even though my love for One Direction has influenced them as characters, I do not own them. I've been told you can’t own people apparently. I need to note that while this very fictional story is based on an actual traumatic brain injury many of the medical and legal details will most likely be extremely incorrect but they aren't the point of the story anyways. Thank you for taking the time to read this little tale, my imagination and me greatly appreciate it. Feel free to leave a comment if you wish you beautiful people=D

 

**Chapter 1**

Des Styles liked to think that he was very much the epitome of family man. He was married to the love of his life and had two very beautiful children. The fact that he was no longer married to the mother of his children and that he left his children behind in the UK when he moved to America with his new wife was just a slight oversight.

Regardless of not being readily available physically he tried to always be there for his children financially and emotionally. A few weeks every summer he would fly them out to America to spend some quality time together. The first few years it was a dash of awkward to say the least but eventually they were all able to accept the way things were. Des, himself had even been able to accept his ex-wife’s new husband, Robin, as a friend.

Des was so proud of both his children. Gemma was in university studying to take the world by storm and Harry was his lively loveable teenager. He really tried to check in at least twice a week so that he could be updated on all the goings-on of his children’s lives. Gemma had quite a lot of club activities to keep him informed on and Harry always had an anecdote from the sorrows of year 11.

He can still remember getting the phone call from Anne that their baby boy had made it into the x-factor. Proud couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling of watching his little boy singing in front of hundreds. Everyone in the family knew that Harry was always meant to do great things in the world of music. He was always singing around the house and putting on a show for anyone who cared to listen. He was the perfect fit to the already diverse personalities of his bandmates.

Des still regrets only being able to fly out for a handful of performances, but he was very grateful that Robin recorded it for him. They were his go to homesick video marathon starters. He was always happy to see that the same Harry that was singing at him on his two year-old home video was the same Harry that was currently headlining his own tour with his band of brothers.

Des thoughts were interrupted as the taxi pulled up to the Leighton hospital in Cheshire. He had just flown in from New York after receiving a devastating phone call urging him to fly to England as soon as he could.

“Hello, I am Des Styles, I received a call that my family was here.” Des stated, worry etched in his voice trying to keep it at a calm register. His mind was full of all the possible dangers that had fallen his loved ones.

“There are some friends and family members in the waiting room on the 4th floor; I could page the doctor to meet you there.” The receptionist informed after looking through her notes smiling up at him with a hint of pity in her eyes.

“Could you just tell me how they are; the person that called me didn’t tell me anything.” Des asked his voice filling with anxiousness as he tapped his fingers on the reception counter.

“I am sorry sir, I don’t have that information but I will make sure the Doctor is paged immediately.” The receptionist assured while picking up the phone.

“Thank you, I will be in the waiting room I suppose” Des notified her, nodding his head in appreciation. He turned to head to the waiting room he was told about.

Des walked distractedly to the elevator and pushed the button. As he waited for the familiar ding to sound he felt the tears begin to form in his ducts. In his heart he knew that something horrible had happened, it was a parent’s instinct. Sweat fell down his neck as the elevator doors finally opened and he stepped in pushing the number button labeled 4.

There was one other person with him in the elevator. He nodded politely as he hung back and waited for the doors to open on his floor. Des wondered who the man was visiting. He was holding a ‘Get Well’ balloon and tears running down his face so Des assumed he was visiting someone very important.

Des hoped with all that he had that he would be able to bring someone a ‘Get Well’ balloon and not have to bring flowers to a funeral home.

After what fell like hours the doors opened revealing a peaceful atmosphere. Des walked slowly down the hallway. Each step causing a painful thought to erupt through his mind.

He stopped right outside the door marked ‘waiting room’ holding his breath.  He felt like such a coward as he pressed his ear to the door in hopes of hearing some commotion that would let him know whether his world would be ending in a few minutes.

Letting out the breath he was holding he pushed the door open regretting it instantly when he finally walked in. He didn’t think it was possible that so many people could be crying at the same time. It felt like he was already walking into a memorial.

When the shock of the waiting room wore off he wanted to turn around and not deal with anything if only just for a little while. He knew he wasn’t ready for what was to come.

“Des, you are here” Sally, Anne’s mom acknowledge walking over and engulfing her ex-son-in-law in a tight hug. Des could feel her body tremble beneath him.

“What happened?” Des asked after Sally pulled away.  He looked around finally noticing all the people that were in the waiting room. Harold, Anne’s dad who never cried was sitting next to Robin’s mom rocking her as tears fell rapidly from both their eyes. Harry’s band mates were sitting next to each other eyes red with tears streaming down their faces all of them looking at the space where their feet rested.

“You should probably sit down.” Sally led Des to an empty chair in the corner.

“Tell me that they are okay” Des asked suddenly frantic realizing what his heart had known all along.

“Des, Harry was on break from the tour so he came to visit. Robin, Anne, Gems and Harry were driving back from dinner and…a drunk driver crashed into them.” Sally explained her voice breaking, fresh tears forming and falling down her cheeks.

“Please tell me that they are okay” Des pleaded again although by the reactions in the room he already knew the answer.

“Honey, I don’t know the best way to tell you, I am so sorry…Robin and Anne died on the scene, Gemma died on the way to the hospital, Harry is in surgery right now we haven’t been updated yet, but it is bad Des.” Sally said wrapping her hand on Des knee, looking very much like she hated having the unfortunate tasks of delivery this undesirable news.

“Oh my God, Gemma, Anne, Rob. I can’t. I can’t believe this” Des cried putting his head in his hands small sobs escaping him. Sally pulled him into her chest and cried along with him not caring how loud they were being. Des couldn’t fully wrap his head around what he had just heard before the door was opened by a man dressed in green scrubs and white coat.

“The Family of Harry Styles” The green scrubbed man announced clip board in hand.

“That us” Des heard Louis, Harry’s best friend, exclaim jumping up. Everyone followed suit and gathered around the person they assumed to be the Doctor.

“We are so sorry for the wait, there were some complications but Harry is alive” The doctor updated them, watching all the faces in front of him.

“Oh Thank God” Des said letting out breath and putting his arm around Sally’s shoulder.

“We are hopeful that he will remain stable, however until he wake up we won’t know the extent of the brain damage. It is very likely that he will have some deficits we will have to just wait and see.” The doctor explained frankly.

“But he will wake up?” Des was grateful Niall had taken the question right out of his mouth he wasn’t sure he could speak right now. His little Harry could not be brain damaged. What did that even mean really?

“We have no doubt that he will but right now it’s up to him.” The doctor replied with a sympathetic expression.

“Can we see him?” Sally asked hopefully.

“Yes, he is in the ICU room 4. Right now only two people at a time can go in.” The doctor informed.

“Thank You doctor…” Harold thanked, speaking for the first time.

“Harrison, Of course, I will be around if any one has any questions.” Doctor Harrison said shaking everyone’s hand leaving them alone again in the waiting room.

“He is alive” Louis stated quietly relieved tears finding a new home on his cheeks. Hugs were exchanged along with many words of relief.

“I think that Des and Louis should go see him first.” Harold suggested after everyone pulled apart.

“Thank you” Louis nodded appreciatively along with Des.

“Let’s go then” Des said leading the two of them out the hallway and towards the elevator.

They stayed silent as they waited for the elevator to open and silently walked inside. They were both scared of what they were about to see. The walk to the ICU was surprisingly fast. They reached room 4 before having a chance to truly prepare their mind. Des found the strength from somewhere inside him and pushed the door open letting Louis step in first before he could see his baby boy. 

Their Harry lay in the middle of the bed looking so small his curly hair covered in bandages. He had bruises and cuts covering his face and a tube down his throat. If he had been a stranger he would never know that this was in fact Harry Styles.

Des grabbed Louis who was shaking quietly and held him to his chest. They both stood hugging, praying that their Harry was going to wake up, those baby greens needed to be seen again.

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

*3 years later*

Louis awoke abruptly, the sunshine stunning his face into awareness. The warmth of it made him feel oddly at peace for a moment. He pulled his arms over his head and stretched out his body as he accepted the bright light’s presence, all without opening his eyes. It was a weird and rare feeling and he knew moments like this never lasted for long.

As if the universe was watching, his alarm clock goes off just as he contemplates falling back asleep. He lets the shrill sound go on for a few moments before sighing and hitting the ‘off’ on the alarm. He rubs at his eyes then stares at the ceiling, willing himself to remember that he is in fact a living, breathing organism that had to get up in order to actually get the day started.

He sits up in his bed, bones popping as the night is stripped away with every stretch. With a mannish grunt Louis slips out of his comfy bed and wills himself to make his way to Harry’s bedroom before getting breakfast started. 

Today is the third anniversary of the accident that killed Harry’s mom, stepdad and older sister. Luckily Harry had survived although it left him with severe brain damage, robbing him of who he was but leaving behind the most innocently happy, adorable person to ever roam the earth.

Harry’s dad couldn’t bear to take care of his own son saying that he would always be reminded of that horrible day. Des had decided that Louis should be Harry’s legal guardian since his grandparents were at such an advanced age and would not be physically able to care for him. It took less than 2 seconds for Louis to agree and sign the necessary papers to become his caretaker the very next day.

Even though Louis was pretty much Harry’s parent figure now, he was still his Harry and loved him just as much as before maybe even more. The dynamics had definitely changed but they had been able to make the best of it.

Honestly some days it was really difficult to handle but most days it was so hard not to be happy because Harry was just pure joy. The boys are positive that’s why it was so easy to give up One Direction. It was a mutual decision. They ended the band to pursue individual dreams. And it was fine because Harry was still alive and still the life of the party.

They were each able to find their place in the industry after the band. Liam had recently released a solo album that was currently number 1 in the UK and Zayn was just about to release his own solo album which was also expected to do well. With the help of their previous experience and success the four of them had bought their own record label and have been signing on some pretty successful artists which was always a colossal shock to them.

Owning their own label was great because they had been able to remain a tight unit. Louis sees the boys more than his own family just like during the One Direction days. It was safe to say that they have really become brothers. The doctors always say that Harry wouldn’t have been able to reach his current level without the nurture and care of all the boys.

The accident took away so many things. Harry had to relearn how to do basically everything, like walking and talking. He is still learning a lot of things. The doctors are certain that he had reached his full potential which is about 6 years old on his good days.  
Luckily some things remained intact. When Harry was happy he would smile with his whole face, dimple and everything. Somehow he was able to still charm people into getting his way, a trick Louis still couldn’t figure out. Most importantly all four boys were still his favorite people to do everything with.

“Hazza Bear it’s time to get up love” Louis coos walking to the deep red race car bed. It was custom made to be big enough to hold the body of his lanky 22-year-old best friend.

Louis can still remember getting roped into buying that godforsaken bed. Harry immediately fell in love with it as soon as he saw it in the store. He claimed that it would be perfect for trips with ‘NiNi’. 

At that point Louis’ couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Harry was going to have the mind of a child forever so he denied his request at first. Then he spent an hour trying to persuade him to want a more adult bed with a frame and not a steering wheel. The tears that came from those innocent green eyes tugged on his heart strings but he didn’t cave until Niall reminded him that the Harry they had now could really use a bed with a steering wheel.

“More sleepy” Harry pleads from the depths of the covers, cramming his head further into his favorite SpongeBob pillow “…Please boo bear”

“No bud, its wake up time” Louis says while shaking the younger boy’s shoulders and pulling the blue covers off to assist in the wake up process.

“But whyyyy?” Harry whines, sitting up, rubbing his eyes annoyed at the intrusion from his slumber. Louis schools his expression to keep from smiling as Harry pouts in obvious unhappiness.

“Do you not remember?” Louis askes his face breaking out into a grin as Harry’s pouts continues to grow. 

“We are going to the lake with Zaynie and NiNi today!” Louis says cheerily, sitting on the edge of the bed tousling Harry’s disheveled hair with a hand.

“Lili come?” Harry ponders as he bites his bottom lip. No one really understood why but Harry was super possessive of Liam. At first it made them all kind of jealous but now it was extremely cute except of course when Liam wasn’t around and Harry threw a major tantrum.

“Oh baby, LiLi is spending time with his girlfriend today so I don’t think he will be able to come” Louis explains hoping that’s an acceptable explanation but knowing from experience it wouldn’t be for Harry.

“Yucky girl, my LiLi go” Harry demands crossing his arms over his chest, his face in a scowl, eyes focused on his arms, tears already coming to his eyes.

“Hazza, don’t be upset. We will still have fun. I promise You still have me, Zaynie and NiNi okay?” Louis tries his best at reassuring him, he lifts Harry’s head up and gives him the brightest smile the early morning allows.

“Okay” Harry replies even though he was still scowling. Louis cups his cheek making Harry lean into his palm, almost in a purr.

“Come on Hazza, let me see your loveliest smile” Louis requests, lightly poking Harry in the side satisfied when a small smile brakes out on his face.

“There it is, my favorite smile” Louis smiles. “Now how about we get changed, have some breakfast and then we can call LiLi to say hi, okay?” Louis suggests knowing exactly how to make Harry happy.

“Yes!” Harry exclaims, his real, happy smile taking over his features. He flings his tall body onto Louis who yelps from surprise. 

“Okay, okay, what do you want for breakfast then?” Louis asks after Harry pulls away to sit on his heels. 

“Fruit Loops Boo Bear!” Harry answers with a look that reads a lot like ‘how dare you ask me such ridiculous questions?’

“Of course that was a silly question, wasn’t it?” Louis laughs, then sticks his tongue out succeeding in making Harry let out a genuine laugh. 

“Boo bear silly” Harry giggles holding his stomach as he gets off the bed, walking towards his personal bathroom. 

“Remember Hazza you have to brush your teeth and then put on your swim shorts and shirt,” Louis instructs before Harry could close the door of the bathroom, “I will leave them on the bed okay?”

“Okay boo bear” Harry replies before closing the door. Three clicks later Louis hears the water from the faucet running along with soft giggles signifying that Harry was either playing with the rubber ducks kept under the sink or quite possibly actually brushing his teeth. 

Louis begins the everyday routine of picking up some random toys that were littered across the floor, putting them in the toy chest next to the bookshelf. He finds the new SpongeBob swim trunks he had just gotten for Harry along with a plain white shirt and places them on Harry’s bed. Once he hears the toilet flushing he decides to get breakfast started.

As he walks down the stairs, Louis finds himself thinking back to the first year that Harry moved in with him after the accident. He had to do everything for Harry from bathing him, feeding him and wiping his bottom. All of which was as uncomfortable as expected. But he did it because it was Harry and Louis knew that if the tables were turned Harry would do it for him. With a lot of time Harry learned how to do a lot all by himself. He could now bathe himself, feed himself (even if he was extremely messy) and so much more.

He stills remembers when Harry finally stopped whining his needs and was able to use words, even if he mixed them up most of the time. It was still the most amazing sound. Harry’s voice had to be what Louis and the boys missed the most. Harry was known for telling long, winding, mildly entertaining stories. Now his stories were still long and bendy and if you stopped paying attention for a minute one might get lost but it was still the sweetest sound.

Louis grabs the cereal box off the top of the fridge and Harry’s SpongeBob bowl from the cabinet. The doorbell rings just as the fruit loops drown in a sea of milk and fill the yellow bowl. Louis glances at the clock before abandoning the cereal on the table and opening the front door.

“Uh...you guys are up early.” Louis notes upon seeing Zayn and Niall standing on the door step with dopey smiles on their faces. “I thought we were meeting at the lake?” 

“We figured that we might as well just all go together, you know save the air from pollution or whatever” Zayn explains stepping through the threshold when Louis steps aside, opening the door wider.

“Right, it wasn’t that Zayn didn’t want to drive all the way to the lake because he is lazy” Niall rolls his eyes as he follows Zayn into the house.

“Oi shut up, I seem to recall that you couldn’t be bothered to drive either.” Zayn shoots back, slapping him lightheartedly on the shoulder.

“Yea but I am Irish and that matters somehow” Niall states, sticking out his tongue in retaliation.

“You guys are both twats” Louis laughs, while shaking his head. “Do you want something to eat?” He asks walking to the kitchen and putting the kettle on.

“Really Lou after all these years you still ask me such questions?” Niall says feigning hurt.

“Of course, I forgot who I was talking to” Louis chuckles, looking through the refrigerator. “What can I get for you?”

“Oh please I got this” Niall states pushing Louis to the side, looking for something appetizing he could munch on.

“Jeez Niall we just ate less than 30 minutes ago” Zayn notes sitting down at the dining room table that is adjacent to the kitchen.

“That matters not” Niall replies not bothering to move his head from his search.

“Z, you want some tea?” Louis asks grabbing some mugs from the cabinet and pouring some tea when Zayn nods.

“So is Brittany coming along?” Zayn asks when Louis joins him at the table, handing him a cup of tea.

“Brittany? The intern? Why would she come?” Louis inquires skeptically holding his own mug in his hands.

“No, Brittany the incredible hot intern that you always flirt with” Zayn states with a smirk and knowing glint in his eyes.

“I do not always flirt with her” Louis vows shaking his head sipping on some of his tea.

“Right, and I don’t like food” Niall yells from the kitchen clearly having heard their conversation.

“Oh hush you” Louis rolls his eyes. “She is just a girl that maybe I think is a little cute but nothing is ever going to happen” Louis shrugs his shoulders in what he hopes is indifference.

“Why the hell not?” Zayn questions, genuinely mystified.

“With Haz and stuff it’s just…I wouldn’t have time, it’s not the right time” Louis responds while he glances at a framed picture on the table of Harry and the boys huddled on the couch.

“Don’t use Haz as an excuse; he is not on his death bed. You do realize you haven’t been on a date since Harry’s accident right? You even let Eleanor get away. It’s time to get  
back out there” Zayn argues full of all his wisdom.

“Zayn, just drop it. Harry needs me” Louis claims.

“Harry has you and he has the three of us plus a good handful of other people, he is no reason to not go out on a date, I am not saying marry her, just a date.” Zayn clarifies.

“Come on Lou, get yours” Niall says from the kitchen still not finding anything good to eat from the fridge if the continued closing of cabinets is anything to go by.

“Guys, just drop it please and close my fridge already” Louis directs, not wanting to delve into that particular topic.

“Fine, so where is Haz anyway?” Zayn asks seemingly deciding it is best to just drop the subject, for now anyway.

“He just woke up; he should be coming down soon” Louis replies just as loud footsteps are heard rushing down the stairs. Harry was breathless when he reached the bottom, dressed in a plain white shirt and bright yellow SpongeBob swim shorts (yes they actually have those in adult size, maybe Louis had some cookie monster swim trunks, whatever.)

“Zaynie!!” Harry squeals when he sees the tanned boy sat at the table. He hops the best he can into Zayn’s lap giving him a tight hug and sloppy kiss on the cheek. Being that Harry was pretty tall, his legs more than touched the floor and his boniness was a little uncomfortable but Zayn pretended not to notice.

“Hi to you too my Hazzy!” Zayn chuckles careful not to spill the tea still in his hands as he wraps his excited young friend in his arms.

“Zaynie we go lake” Harry informs while placing his head in the crook of Zayn’s neck and humming happily, absentmindedly kicking out his legs.

“Are you sure? That is brand new information” Zayn replies acting as if he didn’t already know the plans for the day.

“Uh Huh my Boo buy me SpongeBob swimmy shorts” Harry certifies moving his head to look up at Zayn who is sharing a smile with Louis. Harry flattens out his shorts so that Zayn can see SpongeBob’s face better.

“Oh so we really must be going to the lake then”. Zayn smiles, awkwardly drinking some tea from around Harry’s body. “Those shorts are really cool bud; you have to let me borrow them.”

“Okay, but no today” Harry responds seriously, shaking his head.

“No, no, not today” Zayn promises kissing Harry on the forehead. Louis chuckles from where he sat across from them finishing up his tea.

“I am going to go change, then we can head out” Louis informs after dropping his cup into the sink. He smacks Niall on the bum who is pouring cereal into a bowl as he passes, receiving a ‘kill you’ from the blonde.

“Someone make sure he eats his cereal” Louis instructs as he heads up the stairs.

“Hey Haz, where is my hug?” Niall asks standing in the kitchen doorway with a faux frown on his lips while munching on some cereal.

“NiNi!! I no see you, you hiding!” Harry declares, gleefully jumping off of Zayn’s lap and flying into Niall who didn’t expect the level of excitement. Niall loses his balance and falls to the floor with Harry. The bowl of cereal is suspended in the air for a second before it comes crashing to the floor.

“I sorry, I sorry!” Harry says frantically, scared he would get in trouble. Liquid starts welling up in his eyes as he sits up and looks at all the mess. Unbelievably no cereal had managed to get on either of the boys. Niall really wishes the same could be said about the floor and cabinet doors.

“No, no its okay don’t cry Hazza, it is my fault” Niall says quickly before any tears could spill from those big green eyes.

“But fruit loopies ‘n milk on floor, my Lou mad at me” Harry pouts sucking on his thumb as he usually does when he is upset.

“Don’t worry about it Haz, NiNi will clean it up, you just go eat your cereal at the table, come on” Zayn instructs grabbing Harry by the hand not in his mouth and pulling him up leaving Niall in the Fruit loopy milk mess.

“Some help would be nice” Niall calls after Zayn, while trying to remember how to clean efficiently and swiftly.

“But you’re Irish” Zayn states as if that matters. Niall calls him some choice names from the kitchen only succeeding in making Zayn laugh. Harry seems to quickly forget the mess in the kitchen while he shovels his own fruit loops into his mouth.

“Remember Hazza you have to eat slow okay” Zayn reminds him. Harry has a tendency to get overly excited and practically choke on his food.

“Slow” Harry repeats changing the speed in which he puts the spoon to his mouth.

“Did I hear something fall?” Louis asks entering the room and sitting on the vacant chair next to Harry.

“Just the Irishman being a klutz” Zayn betrays Niall who is still trying to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

“You would have never known if I had some help, but I guess Bradford boys will always be vain.” Niall says loudly from the kitchen sounding like he is hoping for assistance but only managing chuckles. 

“What ‘vain’ mean?” Harry asks curiously eyebrows knitting.

“It means Zayn only cares about himself” Louis clarifies easily, thinking that was the easiest explanation.

“Zaynie care for Harry?” Harry asks in what could only be explained as the sweetest voice ever.

“Yes, always” Zayn replies kissing Harry on the cheek, making the younger boy beam.

“Boo Bear call my LiLi now please?” Harry asks pushing his bowl away and looking eagerly at Louis.

“Okay, okay let’s call LiLi” Louis gives in taking out his phone and dialing Liam’s phone number.

“Hello” Liam answers after the second ring.

“Hey Li, all good?” Louis greets watching Harry bite at his thumb and tug at his hair.

“Yea yea, good, you?” Liam replies easily.

“Yup all good, sorry to call so early but there is someone here who has to talk to you immediately or he may self-combust” Louis laughs as Harry tries to grab the phone from Louis’ hand.

“Well put him on then” Liam says the smile evident in his voice.

“Hi my LiLi!!” Harry yells happily into the receiver.

“Hello cupcake” Liam replies returning his happiness.

“Miss you” Harry confesses whole heartedly, holding the phone with both hands.

“You just saw me yesterday sweetie” Liam responds.

“Miss you always” Harry says matter-of-factly.

“I miss you too and I will see you tomorrow love” Liam promises.

“My LiLi, go lake today?” Harry asks hopeful, not registering the last part of Liam’s statement.

“Oh buddy I wish that I could but I promised Danielle, I would hang out with her today” Liam replies carefully.

“My LiLi no like me?” Harry whispers. Louis and Zayn look at each other knowing the tears were coming.

“Sweetheart I like you so much and I will see you tomorrow okay.” Liam reassures knowing that would not pacify Harry much.

“But my LiLi you see new SpongeBob shorts” Harry reasons. They were the coolest shorts ever, Zaynie said so.

“Sweetheart you can show me them tomorrow” Liam assures.

“No Today” Harry mutters.

“Okay, baby let me talk to LiLi” Louis requests softly seeing the tears appear. He knew he had to stop the conversation before there was a full on fit.

Harry reluctantly gives Louis the phone and stalks off to the couch in the living room followed closely by Zayn.

“No Hazza, don’t cry we are still going to have so much fun” Zayn states putting his arm around Harry’s shoulders as a tear rolls down Harry’s rosy cheeks.

“But my LiLi” Harry whimpers eyes downcast.

“It’s okay Zaynie, NiNi and Boo Bear are going to be with you” Zayn explains rubbing circles on his back trying to calm him down. Harry lays his head on Zayn’s shoulder still whimpering Liam’s nickname.

Niall comes in and sits next to Harry and Zayn having heard the commotion.

“Don’t you like us anymore?” Niall asks putting his head in his hands to give the allusion that he is crying. Harry stops his whimpering when he sees Niall ‘crying’ and looks at him intently.

“NiNi no cry, I like, I like” Harry proclaims sniffing. He pries Niall’s hands away from his face and gives him one of his famous sloppy wet kisses where lips meet cheek.

“What about me?” Zayn inquiries from next to Harry tilting his head to give his best puppy eyes.

“I like Zaynie” Harry replies turning to give Zayn a big sloppy kiss on his cheek as well.

“Good, so then we are going to have lots of fun at the lake with our best buddy, right?” Zayn asks. Harry nods his head excitedly already forgetting his tears.

“Everything, okay?” Louis asks coming in after reassuring Liam that they would make sure Harry had too much fun to remember his was missing his ‘LiLi’.

“Yes Boo Bear!” Harry exclaims throwing his arms in the air, “Fun at lake!”

“That sounds like a great idea love! Now come help me make some sandwiches for our trip” Louis says pulling Harry with him into the kitchen letting Zayn and Niall lounge on the couch as they await their adventure to the lake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

“Boo bear hurry!” Harry urged from the backseat of Louis’ Range Rover. He was practically bouncing in his seat. He was just so excited he loved swimming and they hadn’t been to the lake in such a long time.

Niall, who was oblivious to the world having fallen asleep on the hour drive to the lake, woke up when Harry’s long arm accidently elbowed him in the chest making a grunt leave his lips.

“Yes boo bear hurry!” Zayn happily imitated Harry ruffling Louis hair from the passenger seat sticking out his tongue when Louis glared at him. Only Harry was allowed to call Louis Boo Bear, a name that he gave him before his accident.

“Yes please hurry, I don’t think my chest can handle another blow.” Niall insisted as his breath caught up with him.

“We are here, just looking for a good parking spot” Louis affirmed as his eyes scanned the almost crammed lot. It looked like everyone decided to take advantage of the rare sunshine in the sky and come to the lake. He finally found a spot under a large plane tree making Harry let out a cheerful shout when Louis finally turned off the car.

“Right so Zayn, Niall help me take out the stuff from the back, Hazza Bear you stay inside the car until I tell you too okay?” Louis directed unbuckling himself from the car stepping out into the warm air. He knew from experience that Harry didn’t really pay attention to his surroundings. One time he almost got hit by a car after racing after a ball that got away from him.

“Damn Tommo you have gotten really bossy, how about throwing a please in there” Niall joked joining him and Zayn at the trunk of the car.

“Please do shut up” Louis grinned grabbing the cooler from the back. Niall rolled his eyes and grabbed some other random bags they had brought a lot of crap.

“I think we are going to need a lot more hands, we seemed to be unloading a small grocery store.” Zayn said also loading his arms with bags.

“Boo Bear!” Harry called from the backseat anxiously.

“What is it Love?” Louis asked putting down the cooler and opening the backseat door.

“I help ” Harry stated with those big green puppy eyes.

 “Okay buddy, but you have to hold my hand really tight okay” Louis allowed taking off Harry’s seat belt.

 “Okay” Harry replied grabbing Louis’ hand as he was instructed.

“Are you going to help Haz?” Niall asked when Harry and Louis came back to the trunk area.

“Yes NiNi hurry” Harry replied smiling looking really eager to help or eager to get to the lake, either way he wanted them to hurry up.

“Someone’s in a rush, here you can hold the bag of toys” Niall laughed handing Harry the striped bag that held all the inflatable toys and floaties. Harry held the bag in the hand not holding onto Louis getting extremely inpatient.

“Okay I think that is everything” Zayn announced head butting the trunk door to close it.

“Harry hold onto the back of my shirt” Louis instructed waiting until Harry grabbed his shirt then he bent over to pick up the cooler.

Once everything was collected they trudged through the parking lot hoping to be able to find a good spot. After a few minutes they had found a pretty spot that had a table and a barbeque so they made their way over.

“Finally” Harry expressed dramatically dropping the bag he was carrying on the table. “Swim now?” Harry asked holding his hands together as if praying to a God.

“No, you have to wait but really soon.” Louis said smiling at Harry’s impatience. Harry sank onto the bench in frustration and put his head on the table. The boys knew he was anxious so they tried to rush through what they were doing pretty sure he may actually explode if he didn’t get into the water soon.

“Here bud, let’s put the sunscreen on. Take off your shirt.” Zayn ordered sitting down next to Harry sunblock bottle in hand.

“But I no need to, yucky” Harry whined getting off the table bench and trying to get away with disgust written all over his face.

“Harry, do what Zayn says or else you won’t be able to go swimming.” Louis warned while helping Niall set up the barbeque.

“But Boo Bear” Harry whined throwing his head back melodramatically.

“I mean it mister” Louis said dropping the charcoal on the barbeque to look at Harry, hands on his hips. He almost laughed for a second realizing how many times he had he had made fun of his mom when she held that pose to scold at his little sisters.

“Mean” Harry stated dejectedly shoulders sagging as he walked back towards where Zayn was patiently waiting trying to hid the smile playing on his lips.

“You are so dramatic Hazzy, it’s not that yucky” Zayn claimed as Harry took off his shirt and sat in front of him. Zayn spread the sunblock lotion onto his hands and then onto Harry’s back and chest. He let Harry put it on his legs and then made sure to get his face.

“All done” Zayn said kissing crown of his head.

“Now we go please!” Harry begged getting up. They were definitely taking way to long for his liking.

“You have to wait for NiNi and me, just one more minute I promise” Louis explained finishing up with the barbeque and placing some chicken breast on the grill. Then Niall and Louis started putting on some sunblock as well trying to be as quick as possible.

“Hurry, please, too long wait” Harry said dropping back on the bench itching with excitement.

“Okay, okay, let’s go” Louis said grabbing an inflatable ball and floaties.

“go” Harry exclaimed jumping up and grabbing Zayn’s hand pulling him up as well.

“Whoa, I am not going I am going to stay here and watch the food” Zayn informed.

“But you come” Harry insisted pulling Zayn’s arm.

“But I can’t swim Hazzy” Zayn explained smiling.

“I teach you” Harry said adamantly still pulling his arm making Louis and Niall “aww” to eachother.

“You are so sweet my Hazzy but someone has to stay with the food but maybe later okay.” Zayn said caressing his cheek.

“But you all ‘lone” Harry said pouting and eyebrows knitting.

“I will be too busy to notice, can you go have fun for me Hazzy?” Zayn expressed patting his cheek.

“Okay” Harry pouted. He wanted all of them to go swimming. He didn’t want to leave Zayn alone.

“Haz I will race you to the water.” Niall challenged trying to get his mind off of it.

“Race!” Harry replied happily forgetting his pout already running towards the water.

The three boys were taking turns on the floating mat they brought. Harry was laughing hysterically as Niall kept dunking him into the lake.

“Boo Bear save me!” Harry shrieked before he was put under again.

“Don’t mess with my Hazza bear Irish!” Louis yelled as Harry resurfaced. Louis tackled Niall and then high fived with Harry at the success.

“I don’t see how two to one is fair” Niall said reappearing from the water.

“It fair” Harry reassured smiling.

“It’s time to go back now guys, Lunch is ready.” Louis said getting out of the water as he heard Zayn call for them.

“Yes food!” Niall exclaimed catching the ball that Harry had just thrown at him.

“But wanna swing on rope” Harry whined nowhere near ready to get out of the water.

“You can after we have lunch and besides I think you are going to want to go back because look who is here” Louis smiled pointing to where Zayn and Liam sat chatting. Harry heart seemed to start beating ten times faster. It was his LiLi.

“LiLi!!!!!!” Harry screamed running as fast as he could, which actually was pretty fast, his long legs carrying him to his favorite person. He was so happy to see him he had tears in his eyes.

“Hi Cupcake!!!” Liam exclaimed after a soaked wet haired Harry jumped onto his once dried jean clad lap straddling his hips.

“Miss you” Harry conveyed quietly sticking his head into Liam’s neck.

“I missed you too, are these the shorts that I had to see?” Liam asked looking down at the bright yellow SpongeBob shorts that were soaking wet on the lower portion of Harry’s body.

“Yes, SpongeBob” Harry sighed contentedly from his spot.

“I am glad I saw them they are really cool, you have to let me borrow them” Liam declared.

“Okay but Zayn first” Harry mandated.

“Of course” Liam smiled moving some of Harry’s wet hair off of his face. Clutching a hand to his heart Zayn awed that Harry remembered he had asked first.

“My LiLi, you say you no come, you lie? My Lou say lying is no nice” Harry rambled moving his head to look up at Liam.

“Your Lou is right but I didn’t’ lie. This morning I wasn’t coming but then Danielle wanted to see you and the guys so we came.” Liam clarified wrapping the towel that Louis handed him around Harry’s body drying him up and helping him put his shirt back on.

“But no Elle” Harry said looking around where they sat.

“She will be right back” Liam smiled seeing him looking for her.

“My LiLi” Harry declared.

“I have enough love for everybody” Liam ensured wrapping his arms tighter around Harry.

“No my LiLi” Harry said thrusting his face into Liam’s neck. Liam felt that Harry was going to be very upset when Danielle came back from the restroom. He looked at the boys that were smirking across from him but they all shook their heads laughing letting him known that they were not going to get involved partly because it was too funny.  

“You have to promise to be nice, okay cupcake” Liam tried to stop the storm that was most likely brewing seeing Danielle coming towards them.

“My Lili” Harry replied from Liam’s neck.

“Hey guys” Danielle greeted happily as she reached the table kissing each of the boys on the cheek.

“What’s up double D?” Louis said playfully using the nickname he had anointed her when she started dating Liam and became part of the gang.

“Always the charmer Tommo” Danielle chuckled sliding on the bench next to Liam and Harry.

“Hi Harry” Danielle greeted only to cause Harry to hide his face further into Liam’s neck.

“Hazza, say hi to Elle” Louis said. No one was really surprised when he shook his head further soaking Liam with his hair.

“Sorry” Louis apologized for Harry who still hadn’t resurfaced.

“Don’t worry about it, I would fight for Liam too” Danielle smiled.

“I wouldn’t, sorry Liam but you are not that cool” Niall said jokingly sticking out his tongue at him while high fiving with Zayn.

“Whatever, you wish you could get a piece of this” Liam voiced through Harry’s curls.

“True that, I am one lucky lady.” Danielle agreed resting her head on Liam’s shoulder.

Harry did not like this; it was his LiLi so he did what any one would do. He reached over and pinched her arm really hard.

“Harry Edward Styles! That was not okay.” Louis scolded immediately after he saw what Harry did and Danielle let out a painful gasp.

“Look at me right now.” Louis demanded sitting down on Liam’s other side. Harry hid his face in his large hands and laid himself on Liam’s chest.

“Harry Louis is talking to you” Liam said moving Harry off his chest and forcing his hands from his face.

“That was not nice, apologize to Danielle right now” Louis commanded. Harry looked between Louis and Danielle with furrowed brow but made no attempt to apologize.

“Harry, are you having trouble listening?” Louis asked sternly clutching Harry’s chin and moving it towards him.

“No” Harry objected sticking out his tongue boldly.

“Alright so its time out time” Louis notified before seizing Harry’s arm pulling him up and practically dragging him towards the car.

“I want you to sit there for 15 minutes and then we are going to have a chat” Louis instructed sitting Harry down in the backseat of the Range Rover. He sat in the driver’s seat and made sure to lock the doors. He tapped on the steering wheel checking the time periodically on his phone.

Harry rarely got into trouble but when he was upset it could go in either two ways. He would throw a massive tantrum or throw a punch. Luckily he had just pinched Danielle because having been on the receiving end of a Harry punch, it hurt a lot. He may have the mind of a child but he definitely has the strength of a 22 year old man.

After 15 minutes had passed he slid into the backseat next to Harry who had his head down and was sucking his thumb.

“Alright, so now why did you pinch Danielle?” Louis asked even though he already figured out why.

“My LiLi” Harry frowned removing his thumb from his mouth.  

“He is your LiLi but he is also Danielle’s. He loves you both very much and you have to be nice to her because if you hurt Danielle you hurt Liam too.” Louis explained.

“I no hurt Liam” Harry said shaking his head.

“I know you don’t want to hurt Liam so you have to be nice to her okay” Louis proposed.

“Okay” Harry replied.

“And I have told you too many times that you cannot put your hands on any one. It is not nice to hit people. Would you like it if someone hit you?” Louis questioned.

“No, I sorry Boo Bear. No more hit” Harry reassured leaning over to give Louis a kiss on the cheek signifying his serious commitment to his statement.

“I am glad to hear it, now we are going to go back and you have to say sorry to Danielle and to Liam. Understand” Louis asked. Harry nodded and let Louis lead him out of the car and back to where the others were still chatting.

 “I sorry LiLi” Harry apologized hugging Liam from his side. “I sorry Elle” Leaning over Liam’s lap to give Danielle a hug as well.

 “That’s okay buddy” Danielle smiled when Harry pulled away.

“Thank you for apologizing” Liam praised kissing Harry’s forehead.

“Hey Harry” Danielle said smiling when he looked at her.

“Do you know anyone who would want to keep my little friend here?” Danielle asked poking out a small brown stuffed rabbit from her purse. Harry couldn’t contain his excitement when he saw the little brown rabbit putting his hand over his mouth.

“Do you want to keep him?” Danielle probed grinning.

“Yes please” Harry nodded very excitedly making every one laugh. Of all stuffed animals rabbits were definitely his thing.

“Well okay but you have to give him a very cool name” Danielle said handing the rabbit over to him giggling when he immediately held it to his chest.

“What do you say?” Louis prompted.

“Thank you Elle” Harry said giving Danielle a distracted one handed hug.

“So what are you going to name him?” Zayn asked.

“It no a boy, this girl” Harry declared.

“Oh okay a girl, so what’s her name?” Zayn mused.

“Gemma” Harry replied making everyone glance at each other.

“That is a very pretty name” Danielle said tears glistening in her eyes at the mention of her best friend’s name.

“My Big Sissy name Gemma” Harry said still admiring his new rabbit.

“That’s right that is your big sister’s name” Louis agreed from across him.

"Boo Bear I hungry" Harry announced cradling his new rabbit in his arms.

“Right” Louis said standing up and grabbing a plate filling it with some food. He was really relieved that Harry hadn’t asked any questions that Louis hadn’t figured out how to answer.

Louis did talk to Harry about his mom, sister and stepdad sometimes but never in much detail. All Harry knew is that they were up in the sky, which is what he knew to be heaven. If only there was a class he could take that could teach him ways to explain these things. For now it seemed that Harry was satisfied with what he knew so he tried to put it to the back of his mind for now at least.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this pretty quickly so there will most likely be some mistakes, sorry =(. Also, I don't know much about England or sport, so I most likely will get names wrong. So sue me (please don't sue me) Thanks for reading=D

 

 

**Chapter 4**

“Hello Niall, are you picking up Harry today?” Mrs. Robertson, Harry’s teacher greeted him with a warm smile.

“Hello Mrs. Robertson, yes I am.” Niall replied returning her smile and shaking her outstretched hand.

“Is he ready?” Niall asked sticking his hands in his jeans pocket.

“Yes he is, let me go grab him from the play room. I should warn you that he was not having a good day.”  She informed sympathetically.

“Oh why is that?” He inquired it was rare that Harry had a bad day anywhere.

“Well he was fine until after lunch then he just stopped talking, stopped playing, stopped doing the lessons he pretty much just sucked his thumb and kept his head down. I had him taken to the nurse but she said that he was perfectly healthy just a little sad.” Mrs. Robertson explained.

“Aw did you maybe find out why?” Niall asked intrigued he didn’t like his Haz to be sad.

“No, he won’t talk to anyone, Let me go get him” Mrs. Robertson said before walking through a door labeled “play room”.

 Niall kept his hands in pockets and glanced around the lobby area of the school. There were some drawings clearing made by the students enrolled there framed on the walls.

It took Louis a few months to find this school right under their noses in London. It was a special school for children and adults with special needs, where they taught regular school subjects as well as activities of daily living. It was a great school that Harry really loved.

Just as Niall was looking at a picture of what looking like a unicorn pooping butterflies he heard a door behind him bang open.

“Hi buddy” Niall cooed as Harry appeared through the door Mrs. Robertson had walked through. He looked just as sad as he had been told. His head was down and was sucking his thumb which was something he only did when he was upset or sick.

“Hi” Harry greeted through his thumb sadly.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Niall asked looking up and moving his curly hair out of his eyes.

“Want my Lou” Harry replied glancing briefly at Niall before returning to look at his converse covered feet.

“Okay lets go home then” Niall said grabbing the SpongeBob backpack from Harry's hand and swinging it over his own shoulder then grabbing the hand not in Harry’s mouth and leading him to his car.

“How about we go get some ice cream?” Niall suggested buckling the seatbelt around Harry securing him in the backseat.

“No want my Lou” Harry whispered eyes watering slightly.

“Okay love I will take you to your Lou” Niall comforted kissing Harry on the forehead. He was now pretty worried. Harry never declined ice cream. Never.

Niall sighed not knowing how to make Harry feel better. He got in to the driver’s side and adjusted the rear view mirror making sure Harry was okay. He frowned when he saw that Harry had somehow cocooned into himself and was earnestly sucking his thumb.

He was watching the London scenery fly by as he drove to Louis and Harry’s house. A Nandos restaurant passed by his window and his mind reminisced about a time before the accident when Harry and him had gone to grab some food on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Nothing even particularly exciting ended up happening that day. But the thing about Harry was that he could take an ordinary day and make it pretty awesome. He didn’t have to tell a story like Liam or some joke like Louis although he always tried to. He was just had to be his usual cheeky self.

Niall didn’t like to say it aloud but at times he really missed who Harry was. He hated even thinking that because it made it seem like he didn’t like the new Harry or something. But he absolutely loved Harry no matter what. He would watch a thousand episodes of SpongeBob with him just to prove it. He didn’t mind coloring with him or playing on the swings, he actually enjoyed those things even though he would never admit it to the guys.

Sometimes though he longed to call up his curly haired friend and hit a club or get advice on love or grab some food. Food, that’s what brought the two friends together. When Niall was in need of company he would call Harry up and Harry would cook and Niall would eat. When Harry was down Niall would pick up whatever he wanted and head over often spending the night.  It was a great system.

Although he did miss certain things he was glad that Harry was still a really joyful person. It would have been a tragedy if his happiness had also been lost on that fateful day.  Niall loved going to visit Harry when he was having a tough day because just one smile from Harry could lift his spirits.

This is why he rushed to Lou’s because he needs Harry to smile and be all happy. His sadness was unusual and made Niall really uncomfortable. He was more the guy to come to when it was time for fun. Sadness just made his mind go completely blank.

“We are here buddy.” Niall announced opening his door and walking around to open Harry’s door unbuckling the seatbelt from its locked position. “Come on” Niall said grabbing Harry’s hand and closing the door behind them. Harry was still sucking his thumb as he waited for Niall to open the front door.

They were greeted with some sort of argument about which futbol ball team would beat the other. Manchester united or West Brom the same argument they had been having for years.

It was interrupted when the curly haired boy cradled himself onto Louis unsuspecting lap burrowing his head into the smaller boy’s shoulder still sucking his thumb not even greeting the other boys.

“Hazza Bear what’s wrong?” Louis asked giving Niall a questioning glance when Niall sat on the couch next to them.

“Niall?” Liam prodded from Louis’ other side when Harry remained silent.

“I don’t know, his teacher said that he was fine until after lunch and then he just stopped talking or doing anything he just put his head down and sucked his thumb. She took him to the school nurse but they said he was fine, just a little sad. I asked him if he wanted Ice cream but he said he just wanted his Lou” Niall explained looking around at the concerned faces.

“Wow he denied ice cream, this is serious” Zayn stated biting his lip. If there was one thing Zayn couldn’t handle was a sad Harry.

“Why is my baby sad?” Louis queried trying to get Harry to look at him. He gave up when Harry pushed his head further into his neck as if trying to become one with it.

“Hazza bear. Why are you crying, love?” Louis rubbed his back in hopes to get some insight into Harry’s world. Harry hiccupped but didn’t say anything.

“What happened in school cupcake?” Liam tried not liking how upset his Haz was.

“Can I color?” Harry sniffed finally looking up at Louis with big sad eyes.

“You want to color? Sure baby” Louis allowed thoroughly confused by his request.

“Hazzy how about I draw a picture and you color it in?” Zayn suggested squatting to be eye level with Harry and put on a cheery smile.

“Okay” Harry nodded wiping his tears with the hand not in his mouth.

“We have to sit at the coffee table” Zayn said waiting till Harry grabbed his expecting hand and lead him to the coffee table in the center of the living room.

“I guess I will start dinner then, are you guys staying?” Louis asked the boys after a few seconds.

“Yea, if that’s cool, I’ll help” Liam offered standing up after handing Zayn some blank paper and the crayon box.

“Me too” Niall said following them to the kitchen leaving Zayn and Harry to themselves.

“What do you want me to draw Hazzy?” Zayn asked sharpie in hand and ready to draw whatever Harry wanted.

“A birdie” Harry answered briefly taking his thumb out of his mouth traces of tears still on his cheeks.

“A big birdie or a little birdie? Zayn questioned using his hands to show the difference.

“little big birdie” Harry responded waiting for Zayn to sketch out his request.

“Okay a little…big birdie it is” Zayn smiled as he drew a large version of what looked like an angry bird character in the center of the white paper Liam had given them.

“Here, now what color are you going to color it?” Zayn asked pouring the crayons on the table and handing Harry the drawing.

“Um…lellow” Harry mumbled making Zayn smile a little. He still couldn’t pronounce yellow always putting every other letter but Y in front of “ellow”.

“Yellow is a very pretty color” Zayn complimented as he watched Harry use one hand to color in the bird.

“It might be easier to color if you take out your thumb from your mouth and hold the paper down with your other hand.” Zayn instructed watching as Harry followed through the suggestion.

“Zaynie?” Harry asked suddenly tears glistening in his green eyes.

“Yes Hazzy?” Zayn answered tousling his curly locks.        

“Am I stupid?” Harry asked tears falling down his cheeks once again.

“Of course not Harry! You are so smart.” Zayn assured surprised at the question. He swiftly scooped up Harry into his lap when his tears came back to life.

“Zaynie sure?” harry asked tilting his head to look up at Zayn with big hopeful eyes.

“Would Zaynie ever lie to you?” Zayn asked wiping the tears from Harry’s rosy cheeks.

“No Zaynie never lie” Harry said looking back down and moving his picture in front of him to continue coloring it.

“Did someone in school say you were stupid?” Zayn questioned eyebrow knitting and anger building when Harry nodded his head.

“mean floor man” Harry informed wiping the tears off his face while still coloring is bird.

“Well he was just being mean okay, you are so very smart Hazzy okay” Zayn said calming himself down and kissing Harry’s forehead.

“Believe Zaynie” Harry nodded still deep into his picture seeming to actually accept Zayn’s words and forget his earlier sadness. It really was that easy for Harry to be happy.

“Hey Lou! Come here” Zayn shouted still holding an occupied Harry in his lap.

“What’s up?” Lou said coming into the living room drying his hand on a kitchen towel bending down when Zayn motioned for him to come closer

“You might want to call Haz’s school, apparently the Janitor called him stupid” Zayn whispered into Louis ear.

“What?!!” Louis shrieked scaring Harry who sunk into Zayn’s chest.

“What happened?” Liam asked coming into the living room after hearing Louis yell.

“Some Janitor told Harry that he was stupid, I need to call the school” Louis said getting up exasperated. Nothing annoyed him more than people bullying others and the fact that it was to his precious Harry was infuriating.  

“Boo Bear no mad my Zaynie say I smart” Harry said quietly from Zayn’s chest. He did not like yelling.

“Oh I know you are smart baby, you are super smart but it is still not okay, but don’t you worry about anything okay” Louis said bending down to kiss Harry on the cheek before heading out of the room to use some choice words with the school.

“My LiLi I did color for you” Harry stated happy once again. Even though Liam was still digesting the fact that an adult had said something mean to Harry he couldn’t help but smile. He went over to where they were and kneeled at the table.

“Is this for me?” Liam asked picking up the picture Harry had colored not really in the lines not that it was important. Harry nodded eagerly from Zayn’s lap.

“This is the most beautiful picture you have ever made me, I love it!” Liam exclaimed putting the picture to his heart making Harry giggle happy that his LiLi loved his birdie.

“Kisses?” Harry asked Liam shyly.

“Oh you want kisses?” Liam confirmed leaning over and kissing Harry’s cheek, his forehead, his chin and lastly his nose making harry laugh.

“Hey I drew that and you give the picture to Liam” Zayn said tickling Harry’s sides filling the house with his treasured laughter.

“No tickles Zaynie no” Harry giggled trying to get away accidently kneeing Zayn in the nose making Zayn moan in pain.

“I sorry I sorry” Harry said frantically putting his hands on Zayn’s face to investigate the damage.

“It’s okay Hazzy I am not hurt see?” Zayn said showing Harry his face.

“No Hurt?” Harry questioned scanning Zayn’s face.

“No Hurt” Zayn assured smiling broadly so Harry could see he was fine.

“Kisses for Zaynie” Harry stated giving Zayn many wet kisses all over his face making Zayn laugh regardless of the fact that his face was pretty wet at the moment.

“Thank you! I love Hazzy Kisses” Zayn expressed hugging Harry and discreetly wiping his face on Harry’s shirt.

“I just realized that we left Niall in the kitchen, alone with food” Liam, who had been happily observing said abruptly getting up and heading to see if they could stop Niall from devouring the whole meal.

“We better go save the food and I think we can sneak in a cookie before dinner, Liam be cool” Zayn stated giving Liam a look when he saw he was going to protest.

“Cookie” Harry said happily standing up and following Zayn and a disapproving Liam.

“Okay fine but when Lou finds out I saw nothing.” Liam said hands in the air.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

“Boo Bear, tie shoes please” Harry requested walking into Louis bedroom clad in red skinnies; an orange SpongeBob shirt and green converse that still had the laces untied. Louis tried not to frown at Harry’s choice in clothing seeing as he was the one who let him pick what he wanted to wear.

He was quickly regretting that. Zayn was going to have to go over what matches with what not that Harry really cared.

“I think you can tie them yourself” Louis stated after he had slipped on his own blue toms onto his feet.

“No can’t” Harry shook his head and flopped down on the floor in front of where Louis sat on the bed. He looked up at Louis with those big pleading eyes that just made you want to give him whatever he wanted.

“Can you try for me please?” Louis requested attempting to ignore those big green spheres and aiming to increase his independence.

“How?” Harry pondered biting his bottom lip genuinely curious.

“Remember that song I taught you?” Louis inquired kneeling in front of him.

“The bunny one?” Harry moved his head up with a finger on his chin seeming to remember being taught some song.

“Yup, do you remember how it goes?” Louis smiled ruffling his hair a little.

“No, show me” Harry demanded intrigued planting both feet on the floor and nudging an untied shoe in Louis direction.

This was about the fifth time showing Harry how to tie his shoes but Louis knew from experience that it was all about repetition. It took about twenty different occasions mixed with patience and lots of frustrated tears before Harry was able to figure out how to use a spoon and fork correctly. They were still working on using a knife. One day.

“Okay you copy what I do while I sing it okay.” Louis instructed making bunny ears with the laces just as his mother had shown him and how he had shown all of his little sisters.

“Okay” Harry waited putting the laces in the shape of little bunny ears like he had just seen Louis do.

“Bunny ears, bunny ears, playing by a tree, criss-crossed the tree, trying to catch me. Bunny ears, bunny ears, jumped into the hole, popped out the other side beautiful and bold.” Louis sang tying the laces slowly as he went along.

“I like that song” Harry admired enjoying the bunniness of it all.

“It’s a good song and you did a great job, you see you can tie your shoes all by yourself” Louis praised smiling broadly noticing that Harry’s shoe laces were actually tied properly.

“I can” Harry gushed happily cupping his hand on his face.

“Now, we have to get going love or we are going to be late” Louis said standing up ironing his jeans with his hands.

“Where we go today?” Harry pondered following his Lou out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

“We are going to go see your daddy today” Louis answered cheerily grabbing his keys from the hook by the door. “Let’s go bud” Louis instructed grabbing Harrys hand and pulling him out the door.

“I no see my daddy” Harry objected tugging his hand from Louis hold before they could make it down the steps.

“Why don’t you want to see your dad Hazza?” Louis eyed him inquisitively turning around and resting his hands on either side of Harry’s shoulders.

“He no nice” Harry expressed shaking his head and eyebrows knitting.

“Sure he is love” Louis reassured him with a tight smile. He wasn’t actually surprised that Harry didn’t want to see Des. He hadn’t seen him, unless you count Skype, in 3 years. He only knew who his dad was because his grandparents talked about him sometimes.

“You stay?” Harry bit his lip apprehensively.

“Of course I will stay with you love” Louis responded passing a hand through his chocolate locks.

“Promise?” Harry pouted still uncertain.

“Yes, I promise” Louis smiled and had to tip toe a little to kiss his forehead before taking his hand again and walking to the car.

After making sure the child lock was on he turned on his car and started driving towards the hotel that Des was staying at. Louis hadn’t heard from Des in almost three years. He had called Louis out of the blue saying that he was in London for business and that he would like to see his son. Louis first thought was to tell him to go to hell. He hadn’t made an effort to come see Harry in a very long time. But he realized that Des was Harry’s Dad after all and maybe it would be nice for Harry. So he sucked it up and agreed to meet up with him.

“Boo Bear where my Daddy live?” Harry asked from the backseat chewing on his nails.

“He lives in America” Louis replied looking momentarily in the rear view mirror.  “Don’t bite your nails Hazza”

“We no in ‘merica” Harry said matter-of-factly after removing his tasty nails from his teeth.

“That’s right we are not, he came to London to visit you” Louis clarified turning at a stop light.

“Visit me?” Harry asked the disbelief dripping from his deep voice.

“Yes buddy” Louis answered turning around quickly to throw a grin his way.

“Why?” Harry investigated further.

“Because he missed you” Louis explained hoping that was a good enough answer.

“Oh” was Harry said before he secretly went back to chewing on his nail and gazing out the window.

+++++

“Hazza Bear, we will only stay for a little bit and then we will go for ice cream okay?” Louis promised rubbing his back while knocking outside Des’ hotel room. Harry didn’t respond, he just stuck his head deeper into Louis’ neck.

As soon as they stepped out into the parking lot Harry had gotten shy and found refuge in the nook of Louis’ neck. No matter how Louis tried to comfort him nothing had gotten him to resurface, so they awkwardly walked up to the right room.

“Hello boys” Des welcomed them with a broad smile when he opened the door.

“Hi Des” Louis greeted in what he thought was an authentic smile. “Haz is just a little shy” he added nodding towards the boy stuffed in his neck.

“That’s fine, come in let’s catch up” Des beamed opening the door wider and letting them both in. Louis walked in with Harry still stuck on his neck and sat on the hotel’s couch. Des sat next to them on Harry’s other side.

“So how are you Des? It’s been a while” Louis said trying not to sound too accusatory.

“I know, work has just gotten in the way, but things have been good. How is everything over here?” Des asked feeling slightly awkward with the small talk.

“Things are good too, Harry is doing so well.” Louis responded holding Harry, who had not moved, tighter.

“That’s good to hear” Des nodded looking down at the ground. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something in private” he added looking up after a moment of silence.

“Uh sure” Louis said curious to know what Des had to talk about that Harry couldn’t hear. “Hazza bear, do you want to watch some TV” Louis suggested softly. Harry shook his head and wrapped his arms tightly around Louis’ waist.

“You know Harry, I was talking to Nana and Papa and they tell me that you can color like the champs. I just so happen to have this pretty cool SpongeBob coloring book that needs some of your talent, interested?” Des smiled bringing out a coloring book and crayons from under the side table and putting them on his son’s lap. His smiled widened when Harry moved his head from Louis neck and stared at the book on his lap.

“What do you think Haz, want to show your dad your coloring skills?” Louis prodded rubbing Harry’s back encouragingly, knowing that he would want to. As expected Harry nodded heartily. Earning a soft smile from both Des and Louis.

“Here, let’s set you up on the table then” Des stood leading the way to the table. Harry followed silently looking through his new book for the perfect picture to color. Des set Harry up at the table pouring out the crayons in front of him and then rejoined Louis on the couch.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Louis asked when Des sat down.

“Well I want to tell you that you have been doing such an amazing job with Harry, he has had such a change since the accident. And I know that I haven’t been a part of his life but I will be now.” Des assured firmly looking clasping his hands together.

“Uh Thanks, um that’s great, Harry would be happy to see you more often.” Louis smiled appreciatively yet somewhat uncomfortable. Something deep in his stomach told him that there was more that Des wanting to say.

“You don’t understand, I want to have full custody of Harry and have him move in with me and Patty in New York.” Des explained casually as if his words would have no effect on the blue eyed male.

“What?! Are you kidding me?” Louis questioned after a second of stunned silence. He didn’t realize his voice was raised until Des shushed him motioning to a peaceful Harry that was lost in his picture.

Of all the topics that had passed his mind when Des said he wanted to talk in private, this was not even on his radar. He figured maybe Des wanted to move back to London or have Harry visit him in New York or something.  He could not believe his ears. Des wanted to take Harry away to freaking America. Did he not realize how ridiculous that was.

“No I am not kidding. It’s time that he was with family.” Des insisted and folded his elbows on his knees calmly looking at Louis.

 “He is with his family. I am his family. The guys are his family. YOU have been MIA for almost three years. YOU have only skyped or called a total of three times in those three years. YOU gave him up without giving it a second thought. YOU left him and now all of a sudden you want him back, you want to take him away from his home.” Louis accused angrily shoving his index finger in the older man’s shoulder for emphasis.

“I get it okay, I have not been around for a long time and it has been eating me up inside. I wanted to come back for him so many times but life just got in the way. I am not trying to make excuses and I understand how you feel. But, I am his father and he should be with me, his real family” Des stated making sure to add that last bit to be passively offensive.

“Right, his real family.” Louis scoffed.  “Tell me what you are going to do when life gets in the way again. Correct me if I am wrong but don’t you still have the same job and lifestyle. What is your plan exactly? How are you going to take care of him? Leave him with a stranger all day until you get home for a few hours?” Louis questioned feeling the blood boil in his veins.

“My wife and I will figure all that out, he will be safe and loved and that’s all that matters” Des responded passing a hand through his short balding hair.

“All I am hearing is that one day you realized that you are a terrible father. By some miracle you actually let your guilt buy a plane ticket and now you are determined to ruin Harry’s life just so the guilt wont’ eat away at you. You are pathetic” Louis uttered angrily having to hold his fists under his knees to not attack Des right there.

“Louis, I know that you have been caring for him for three years now and you feel responsible for him or whatever but I can guarantee you that no one, especially not a 24 year-old  kid, can take care of him better than his own father and any judge will see that. If I were you I would just give him up on your own. No point in putting Harry through a pointless battle.” Des warned with cold eyes.

“Pointless? You think this is pointless?” Louis whispered skeptical, this was not pointless. Harry was everything.  “Harry is doing so well right now and you had absolutely nothing to do with that. You left him Des, you left him and there is no way in hell that I am going to let you take him away from all that he knows and loves.” Louis exclaimed standing up a exhaling angrily.

“I am going to fight Louis, I won’t leave him again” Des warned also standing to be face to face with Louis.

“Fight all you want, you aren’t going to win” Louis vowed turning away and walking to the table where Harry was busy coloring in his own little world.

“Hazza it’s time get going” Louis said after a minute to control his voice.

“But no done” Harry replied not bothering to look up. If he had even he would have been able to note that Louis was in no mood for arguing.

“Harry, I need you to stop coloring right now, we need to go, I am sure your dad will let you take the book with you and you can finish at home” Louis ordered putting a firm hand on Harry’s hand causing the crayon to stop its movements. Harry sighed letting his shoulders sag in annoyance but closed the book and put the crayons away not wanting Louis to be mad at him.

“Sure thing kiddo you can take it with you” Des smiled. Harry returned his smile and stood up immediately grabbing Louis hand.

“Bye Daddy” Harry waved shyly once he was ready to go.

“Bye, it was nice to see you; I will be seeing you soon” Des smiled giving Harry a side hug and kiss on the cheek. Louis rolled his eyes at Des and lead Harry out the door after he pulled away.

The entire walk to the elevator Louis was fuming. How dare Des come back after all this time trying to take Harry away. He had to be insane. He didn’t even know his son anymore. It doesn’t matter that Des is Harry’s dad that means nothing. Where had he been all the time Harry needed him the most. He was living his life and Louis had been taking care of things. It was his Hazza.

“Boo Bear, we get ice cream?” Harry asked as they walked to the car.

“We are going to stop by Zayn’s flat first okay” Louis replied.

“Okay” Harry agreed always happy to see Zayn. Louis made sure Harry had his seat belt on before shutting the door and jumping into the driver’s seat. He sent a quick text off to Zayn to let him know that he and Harry were on their way to his flat. Louis didn’t wait for a response he just headed towards Zayn’s flat. He needed to vent and Zayn was good at listening.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any mistakes. Comments would be nice btw=D Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I very much suck at writing romance but I did my best. Sorry. Enjoy =D

**Chapter 6**

“Hi Zaynie” Harry greeted gleefully hugging Zayn after being let into the surprisingly clean flat.

“Hey Hazzy, I didn’t expect to see you guys today” Zayn replied hugging Harry and Louis. “And just what are you wearing Haz?”

“SpongeBob Zaynie” Harry enthused pulling at the hem of his shirt in case that his Zaynie could not see the large yellow sponge that enveloped his too bright shirt. Why Louis would even allow such an atrocious color into Harry’s world would always be a mystery.

“I can see him brilliantly on your chest there love. Later we are going to have a chat on how not to look like the sun.” Zayn smiled tousling Harry’s hair.

“Sun pretty” Harry informed returning Zayn’s smile brightly.

“You got me there” Zayn admitted and tugged Harry to the couch where Louis had slipped off too.

“Sorry to drop by unexpected Zayn. I hope you weren’t doing anything important” Louis apologized after realizing that he may have had plans.

“Don’t worry about it; Niall and Liam were just going to come over to watch the match. I thought you two were going to be with Des?” Zayn asked sitting down and putting his arm around Harry’s shoulders who didn’t hesitate to lean into his chest and play with the manufactured rip on Zayn’s jeans.

“We just left from there” Louis explained quietly resting his elbows on his knees and keeping his head bowed. He could feel himself losing the battle to not explode. He passed a rough hand over his face to keep the anger he felt at bay.

“Um Okay…” Zayn stated noting how weird Louis was acting.

“My Daddy give me book” Harry announced before Zayn could comment on Louis mood. He turned his book over and handed it to Zayn’s outstretched hand.

“This is a really cool book Haz” Zayn smiled flipping through the book hastily before giving it back to him.

“Do you have colors?” Harry asked hopefully when he remembered the picture that he had been working on earlier.

“I sure do, they are inside the cabinet by the table, go ahead a get them.” Zayn allowed nodding. Harry wasted no time and went to find the crayons Zayn had purchased especially for when he visited. The 144 box that Harry had assured Zayn were the perfect amount of crayons for all his coloring needs.

“So are you going to tell me what happened at Des'? You look pissed” Zayn observed once Harry was absorbed in his picture.

“I just…I don’t... I probably shouldn't talk about it right now because I want to scream but I don’t to scare Harry” Louis shook letting out an angry breath just as a knock was heard at the door.

“I get it” Harry declared quickly getting off the chair he was sitting on.

“Look who it is first” Zayn ordered watching him from the couch.

Harry looked through the little hole at the door like he had been taught but only saw darkness. He opened the door anyway; cause really ain’t nobody got time for that.

“Hi cupcake” Liam exclaimed hugging Harry who returned the hug happily.

“Hi my LiLi!” Harry greeted. “Hi NiNi!!” He added when he saw Niall behind Liam giving him a hug as well.

“Hey Haz” Niall said returning his hug and walking in to the flat locking the door behind him.

“Hey Lou, what are you guys doing here, I thought you were going to be with Des” Liam said after setting down some crisps and beer on the coffee table then joining the boys on Zayn’s cozy couch.

“We figured you guys would be there all day, you know since Des hasn’t seen him in years.” Niall stated letting the annoyance he had for Des drip with every word. He awed when Harry showed him his almost finished picture and then left him coloring at the table and jumped over the back of the couch settling in the empty spot next to Liam.

“We just left there” Louis responded letting his head fall backwards and not caring that his right leg was bouncing really fast and pretty high.

“What happened Lou?” Liam asked putting a calming hand to stop Louis’ knee from taking flight.

“Zaynie have Ice cream?” Harry asked suddenly from behind them before Louis could reply.

“I do, Is it okay Lou?” Zayn asked and  got up when Louis nodded his permission.

“So are you going to tell us what happened?” Niall prodded when Harry and Zayn disappeared to the kitchen.

“Des is an insane ass” Louis whispered turning around to make sure that Harry did not hear him.

“Why do you say that?” Liam pondered watching Louis rest his elbows on his knees and hold his head in his hands.

“You know what, I need to go for a walk, can you guys just watch Haz for a minute” Louis said getting up off the couch not bothering to listen to the calls for him to come back. He needed to clear his head.

Louis absentmindedly walked down the sidewalk away from Zayn’s complex and down the street. He found a little café after a few minutes and decided to sit with some tea out in the café’s patio. He watched people walk by but was not really paying attention to any of them. Except for the guy playing the guitar with his feet, because really how can you not?

Even though people describe Louis as this loud and outgoing guy, he wasn’t always. He was the kind of guy to have a bunch of acquaintances and only a handful of really good friends. He knew that when he met Harry at the toilets during the X-factor that he would be a really good friend. And he really was his best friend, his confidant, his brother.  He would do anything for him.

Six years. That’s how long he had known Harry and for three of those years Harry had literally been his whole world.

Louis was basically his parent at this point. He made sure that he had everything he needed physically, emotionally and financially. He retaught him things and played with him. He sets limits and handed out punishment. Harry was the reason that Louis woke up in the morning.

He couldn’t be sure that he was doing everything right. According to his mother, a parent never really knows which was somewhat comforting.  He tried to just take it one day at a time. Solve problems as they arise.

Louis didn’t want to admit it but he was so scared that he was going to lose Harry. Don’t parents usually get the custody? This was a special case but Des is blood after all.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Louis heard from next to him scaring him out of his thoughts.

“Oh Hi Brittany” Louis greeted with a hand to his chest as he smiled up at the young red head receptionist from the record label.

“Sorry I didn’t realize I could scare the great Tommo” Brittany grinned. “Mind if I join you?” She asked sitting down without him responding and placing her own tea in front of her.

“You didn’t scare me, I just couldn’t believe that someone so beautiful would be talking too little old me” Louis replied his baby blues shining momentarily forgetting his troubles.

“Oh you” Brittany scoffed her cheeks turning slightly pink. “So what you thinking about so hard?” she asked leaning on her elbows.

“Just having a rough day, it’s weird seeing you not sitting behind a desk” Louis said trying to change the subject.

“Not as weird as seeing you frowning” Brittany responded putting a hand on the hand Louis had rested on the table.

“You should know that I am a complex human being with many different sides” Louis explained with a slight smirk,

“It is my dream to be able to get to see all sides of you Lou” Brittany winked this time making Louis cheeks turn pink.

“I am here to make dreams come true” Louis replied after the heat in his cheeks died down a little.

“Well aren’t you Disney” Brittany snickered moving her hair from her face.

“Yes I am the Happiest place…or um person on earth” Louis laughed. “I am not sure where I was going with that.

“Lucky for you, I thought the effort was really cute” Brittany grinned playing with sleeve of Louis shirt. Louis had to look down in an attempt to hide the redness that was coming to his cheeks. She always made him extra nervous. He didn’t necessarily like that but couldn’t get enough of it at the same time.

 “So umm…I thought you lived on the other side of town what are you doing all the way over here?” Louis asked after a few seconds of flirtatious silence. That’s a thing right?

“Maybe I was hoping to bump into a cute, blue-eyed, feathery haired boy” Brittany smiled cupping her chin with her hand.

“Excuse me, I am definitely all man” Louis stated in a deeper voice to get his point across.

“Oh but of course, silly me” Brittany chuckled. “Why are you out here by yourself, I always imagine you to be surrounded by loads of people”

“Sometimes I just like to be alone to think, I know shock I think” Louis said playfully.

“I am sure there are a lot of great things floating up in that head of yours.” Brittany responded tousling Louis hair.

“One day I will let you in to the intricacy that is the Tommo mind” Louis said fixing his hair and looking at his phone briefly seeing some texts from Zayn asking if he was okay.

“I am not doing anything now so my ears are all yours if you want to get rid of whatever put that frown on your pretty face.” Brittany informed squeezing Louis’ hand tenderly.

“It’s kind of a long story” Louis replied looking at her. He didn’t think he could talk about his situation without breaking down and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

“You don’t have to tell me the whole story. You actually don’t have to tell me anything. I don’t want to be pushy or anything. It was just a suggestion because I care” Brittany commented smiling slightly.

“It’s just… Have you ever been so afraid that no matter what you do you still aren’t good enough?” Louis asked defeated letting her in to a portion of his mind.

“I can safely say that I have, but I can’t imagine that you aren’t good at anything.” Brittany said seriously.

“You are sweet and as much as I like to pretend that I am super awesome, I am not” Louis objected taking a sip of the tea he had forgotten about.

“I beg to differ. Is there a certain reason that you are thinking like this” Brittany asked curiously cocking her head to the side.

“Someone has just come back into my life and they are trying to change things when they know nothing about it.” Louis explained feeling the frustration slightly knotting his stomach.

“Well I don’t know your situation but I do know that you are good enough for whatever you have set your mind on. I don’t even have to know what it is. It could be drug dealing or saving puppies. Whatever it is you can handle it.” Brittany said adamantly.

“I have always wanted to be a drug dealer” Louis joked.

“Seriously, you are awesome and if someone doesn’t know it they are stupid and don’t even deserve for you to waste any emotion on them” Brittany pledged.

“You really are awesome” Louis smiled holding her hand a little tighter.

“I am just awesome cause I know you” Brittany smiled. “I am so sorry that was so cheesy”

“I like cheese” Louis chuckled. He glanced down at his phone quickly as another text beeped from Zayn letting him know that Harry was freaking out at his absence.

“I am so sorry I have to go” Louis apologized putting his phone in his pocket.

“I hope we can talk again, it was nice” Brittany smiled getting up to head back on the walk she had been on.

“Me too, thanks for listening to me ramble” Louis thanked giving her a hug before the departed.

“No need for thanks Tommo” Brittany assured giving him a big smile and turning onto the pavement.

“Hey would you like to go out on a date Friday night?” Louis asked suddenly stopping her from getting further down the sidewalk.

“Sure I would love to” Brittany said without any hesitation.

“Great, I will pick you up at 8?” Louis suggested.

“Sounds great” Brittany agreed.

“See you at work” Louis said with a wave.

“See you” Brittany said winking at him and blowing him a kiss to which he made sure to dramatically grab and hold to his heart.

Louis walked back to Zayn’s apartment with a smile on his face this time. He hated when Zayn was right, Brittany was great. He almost forgot about Des and his bull. Almost.

“Boo Bear! Where you were?” Harry demanded when Louis stepped through Zayn’s door.

“Relax Hazza I was just walking around” Louis explained as Harry hugged him tight.

“I worry” Harry declared burrowing his head Louis neck.

“There is no need to worry bud I was just down the street.” Louis assured passing his fingers through Harry’s curls while walking to the living room where the rest of the boys were talking quietly. He regretted leaving suddenly because Harry got really anxious when he didn’t know ahead of time where Louis was.

“Thanks for replying to my thousands texts” Zayn said sarcastically rolling his eyes as Louis sat on the arm of the couch.

“Everything, all right?” Liam asked wanting to get to the bottom of what was going on.

“Hazza bear, have you seen Zayn’s new TV in his room?” Louis asked suddenly to the mop of curls still attached to his side.

“I not allowed” Harry reminded him. He usually caused major destruction in Zayn’s room, not that anyone could blame him there was some really cool stuff in there.

“Just for today, you can go check it out, come on I think SpongeBob is on” Zayn allowed realizing that Louis wanted to talk with them without Harry hearing.

“So what the hell is going on?” Niall asked once Zayn returned to the living room.

“Well after 3 years of being MIA Des has decided the now he wants to be Harry’s father.” Louis said sliding down next to Liam.

“What do you mean?” Liam draped his arm around Louis shoulder and tugged him closer.

“He wants custody of him and for Harry to move to America with him and Patty” Louis explained rubbing his face with his hand.

“What?!” Zayn shouted angrily turning to look at Louis hoping he heard him wrong.

“He can’t do that, Harry belongs here with you, with us” Liam stated calmly simultaneously shushing Zayn and rubbing Louis back as only Liam could do.

“I know Li and there is no way that I am going to give him up, but it’s his dad” Louis said expressed his voice breaking slightly.

“That means nothing; you have been more of his dad than Des has ever been. He hasn’t even come to see him in 3 years. If it wasn’t for you Harry wouldn’t know that difference between his butt and his elbow. Just because Des sends him birthday and Christmas presents does not make him Harry’s father.” Niall said matter-of-factly moving to kneel in front of Louis and place his hands on Louis’ knees.

“I am afraid that a judge won’t agree. What if they don’t think I am good enough to take care of him? What if they make me give him up?” Louis cried letting the tears fall down his cheeks and burrowing his head into Liam’s shoulder.

“I don’t care what we have to do, what Lawyer we need to hire, there is no way that they will take Harry away” Liam reassured rubbing a calming hand down Louis arm.

“You don’t know that” Louis uttered fresh tears falling down his red sad eyes making Niall squeeze his hands gently and Liam hold him tighter.

“No Louis. Harry is not going anywhere” Zayn promised earnestly moving to sit on the other side of Louis and rubbing his back.

“Boo bear no cry” Harry’s voice appeared from behind the little huddle the boys had created.

“Oh Hazza I didn’t see you there, I am not crying sweetie” Louis hiccupped and tried to discretely wipe his tears before turning around.

“My Boo Bear sad?” Harry’s eyebrows knitting in confusion.

“No baby, I am just fine” Louis lied standing up and going to Harry with the best smile he could muster.

“SpongeBob make my Boo Bear happy” Harry guaranteed smiling and grabbing Louis hand.

“Okay love lets go see what that yellow sponge is up too” Louis said regaining his composure and following Harry back into Zayn’s room.

“Cuddles?” Harry asked as he sat in the center of the bed.

“Come here” Louis scooted next to Harry and brought him to his chest as SpongeBob started again. He wasn’t sure what really was going on but apparently it was hilarious as Harry was cracking up at something Patrick had just said.

Louis was looking down at Harry watching how his eyes glistened every time a cackle left his mouth. Maybe he thought differently than his old Harry but it was still his Harry. He knew him better than even Harry knew himself. Deep down Louis knew that there was no one better to take care of Harry than him. There was no way that he was going to let anyone take him away.

“Boo Bear Happy now?” Harry asked looking up suddenly.

“I am so happy baby” Louis responded kissing the curls on Harry’s head.  “I love you Hazza”

“Love you Boo Bear” Harry smiled brightly up at him.

Yup, no one was taking him away from him.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

“Hi I am Louis Tomlinson, I have an appointment with Rosa Scooter” Louis informed the receptionist that was busy typing away at the computer in front of her.

“I see that here, if you could just take a seat and she will be with you in a few minutes” the receptionist instructed without bothering to look at him. He didn’t think that she had even heard him. A smile would have been nice but whatever.

Louis sat down stiffly on the only black cold couch that was in the lobby. The tie he was wearing suddenly began to feel really tight around his sweaty neck. He had been to a lawyer’s office before but that was with One Direction plus their manager. He had never been to one alone and it had never been for something that was more important than breathing. Even though the guys had convinced him that he would not loose Harry a little part of him was still scared he wasn’t enough.

He had been working on a face that displayed confidence on the whole way up to the office but he was pretty sure he looked like a dog with his tail between his legs.

“Mr. Tomlinson, Mrs. Scooter will see you now, her office is the second door to the left.” The receptionist stated finally smiling politely. It was slightly encouraging.

He had to make sure that this lawyer saw something in him that would make her fight hard on his behalf.

His life depended on it.

“Hello Mr. Tomlinson” Rosa Scooter, a tall green-eyed blonde greeted. Definitely not what Louis had envisioned when he thought of a bad ass lawyer. She looked more like a model than a lawyer. Not that he was complaining. He just hoped that she really was the best in the business.

“Hi, thanks for making time to meet with me on such short notice” Louis acknowledge shaking her hand.

“No problem at all, I was very intrigued when I heard about your case” Rosa expressed motioning for him to take a seat in the cold black chair in front of her desk. Why is everything so cold? Not reassuring at all.

“I have heard that you are the biggest and the baddest in the business, which is great to hear because I could really use the biggest and the baddest right now.” Louis rambled trying to calm himself down.

“I think that I can definitely help you, I just need to get more information and then I hope to live up to everything you heard.” Rosa smiled the kindest smile Louis has ever seen. Suddenly Louis felt that everything was going to be okay and he had nothing to worry about.

“I am so relieved to hear that” Louis stated returning her smile.

“Now tell me about Harry” Rosa guided taking out a note pad and fancy lawyer-like pen.

Louis visibly relaxed into the once cold chair that he now loved and was not going to get out of until he had told her everything he could think of.

******************************************

“My LiLi where my Boo Bear?” Harry asked from Liam’s dining room table. Liam had picked up Harry from school today because Louis had an appointment with the lawyers.

Currently Liam found that Harry was in one of his typical “ask a thousand questions” moods. Luckily he had been trained with patience since he had joined One Direction long ago. It was really the only way to deal with four rowdy lads.

“Boo Bear had to go to a meeting” Liam informed Harry from the chair next to him.

“Where that?” Harry asked curiously cocking his head to the side.

“It’s in a building” Liam replied.

“Why he go?” Harry asked his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

“He is talking to some people” Liam responded and moved some of the fringe that fell on Harry eye lids to the side.

 “When he back?” Harry questioned biting on the pencil he had in his hand.

“He will be back a little later” Liam replied gently taking the pencil out of the green-eyed boy’s mouth.

“We go get him” Harry requested wanting to be with his Boo Bear and his LiLi.

“No, we are doing homework; Boo Bear will come by himself.” Liam answered. He pushed the work book Harry was working on back in front of him to help him focus on that instead of where Louis was.

“Okay” Harry nodded.

“Okay, now show me how you write your name” Liam instructed. He watched as Harry sloppily held the pencil in his hand and pressed it to the paper in front of him. He was supposed to write his name a couple of times. It was actually starting to look like words and not scribbles.

Harry always had chicken scratch as handwriting even before the crash. Liam always said that he could be a doctor if the whole singing thing didn’t work out cause no one could ever understand what he wrote.

He never really appreciated the ability to write. How lucky he was to be able to write. He didn’t even think about it. How he could transcribe what he was thinking onto paper. It was just something that he did. It is something that everyone does. You can’t get your thoughts and ideas across without words, you just can’t. Being able to write them keeps them safe for ever.

Whenever they were at a signing or just having a lazy day on the tour bus Harry would slip them a piece of scrap paper that contained what he thought was an hilarious joke or the rudest comment you could ever say to a girl without getting slapped.

Liam still had some of those little pieces of paper locked away in his One Direction keepsake box. Back then he really didn’t think much of them. It was just cheeky Harry. He would give anything to read one now.

Today Harry can really only scribble, although you can kind of figure out what letter he was going for.

Liam remembers helping him recite the alphabet. Proudest moment was when he got to the letter “M” with no help. Now writing the letters that make up the alphabet was a whole different story. There was a tantrum and tears. Many reassurances that “he could do it” later, he was able to write down most of the letters even if he didn’t remember how to pronounce them.

If Liam really let himself think about it, he would get really sad. If Harry had been born this way it would be different, it would be expected. But knowing that he had been able to do so much just three years ago and was now basically starting from scratch was a little heartbreaking.

Whenever he had those sad thoughts he quickly tried to remember how their old Harry dealt with change. Mainly he would have just gone with the flow and had a blast doing it. So that’s what Liam does. He loves Harry like if he really was his little brother and he will gladly sit with him answering his questions and teaching him the alphabet up until forever.

 “See” Harry held up his work proudly.

“Very good Cupcake, what letters are those?” Liam tested pointing to each letter that make up Harry’s name.

“um…’H’, ‘A’, ‘R’, ‘R’ and… funny one” Harry replied with pursed lips not remembering how to pronounce the letter “Y” that he thought looked comical. Liam thought it was because it kind of looked like a person saying “Yay!”

“That one is the letter “why”.” Liam pronounced while pointing at the scribbly ‘y’ on his paper.

“why” Harry repeated.

“Good job bud.” Liam asked ruffling Harry’s hair. “Now, how about a little snack?”

“Cookie” Harry requested trying his best to make the puppy eyes he knows usually gets his way.

“How about an apple?” Liam said not really asking. Those puppy eyes never really got to him. He had will power, most of the time anyways. He left Harry at the table and went into the kitchen to cut up an apple into some non chokable slices.

“Here you go Cupcake” Liam said placing a bowl of apple slices in front of Harry who looked very unimpressed.

“Thank you my LiLi” Harry said politely like he had been taught to do and bit a slice of the apple.

“You’re welcome sweetie” Liam replied sitting down next to him with some apple slices of his own.

“My LiLi, Mrs.Robi say bunnies house hole in ground.” Harry stated randomly remembering what his teacher (Mrs. Robinson) had said in school.

“That’s true Cupcake, it is” Liam agreed.

“Really?” Harry questioned looking disbelieving.

“Yes, just like bugs bunny” Liam answered smiling at Harry’s deep thought face.

“How house in hole? House big” Harry asked curiously. How could a house fit in a hole?

“Their house is not like your house. They don’t need so much. They just use their hands and make a big, deep hole. Then they sleep there and go out to eat” Liam explained using air motions to replicate how he thought a bunny would dig a hole.

“Can we make hole like bunnies?” Harry asked wanting to do as bunnies do. They obviously are the coolest.

“Maybe another day love, what else do you want to do?” Liam asked as he put Harry’s work back in his backpack and put the empty bowls in the sink.

 “Swings” Harry pleaded asked yearn coloring his eyes.

“You want to go to the park? Okie dokie Cupcake lets go to the swings” Liam said standing up and grabbing his keys. Harry jump up very excited to be going to the swings and quickly put on the light sweater Liam had handed him.

“We walk?” Harry asked as Liam locked his front door.

“Yes, you have to hold my hand really, really tight okay?” Liam instructed grabbing Harry’s hand and slightly wincing as Harry literally held his hand really tight.

The last time Liam had taken Harry to the swings that were just a block from his apartment complex he turned around to get his mail for just a second giving Harry just enough time to run straight into the street. Apparently he had seen an incredibly cute puppy but not the car that was less than five feet away from him.

Luckily he got to Harry just in time to pull him back to safety. But since that day he promised himself (and Louis) that he would never let that happen again. It was a rule that Harry had to hold someone’s hand when they were walking anywhere outside.

 “My LiLi look doggie” Harry pointed across the street to a little beagle pup that was running in circles at the feet of its owner.

“Well look at that love, it’s so cute” Liam cooed while subconsciously tightening his hold on Harry’s hand as precaution just in case Harry decided to get a closer look.

“You buy doggie my LiLi” Harry suggested still looking admiringly at the little pup as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

“You think I should buy a doggie? Hmm maybe if Elle wants one too” Liam replied before making sure it was safe to walk onto the crosswalk.

“My LiLi love Elle like SpongeBob love Sandy the Squirrel?” Harry asked unexpectedly. Liam was not really sure how to reply or what the relationship was between SpongeBob and the squirrel he occasional saw when he watched the show.

“Uh...Yes I do love Elle just like SpongeBob loves Sandy...I think” Liam said glancing at Harry still astonished at how he was able to make a connection like that.

“My LiLi love me too?” Harry asked looking at his LiLi with those puppy eyes that this time made Liam’s heart swell.

“I Love you so much, you are my Patrick” Liam declared smiling brightly and wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders as they walked through the entrance of the park.

“I you Patrick?” Harry gushed happily bouncing on his feet.

“Yes, you are my little starfish” Liam said kissing his forehead as they reached the playground that held Harry’s beloved swings. Harry made a gleeful noise and pulled Liam to the swings. Liam bumped into his back when he stopped abruptly.

“Boo Bear?” Harry asked shielding his eyes from the sun not sure if he was really seeing Louis sitting on the middle swing.

“Oh hey Hazza, Li” Louis said looking up when he heard Harry. He smiled when Harry jumped on him hugging his neck.

“Hi. Boo Bear!” Harry exclaimed and kissed Louis cheek.

“Getting on the swings are ya?” Louis kissed his nose making Harry giggle.

“Yes Boo Bear swings” Harry said cheerfully jumping off of Louis and onto the swing on the other side of him swiftly kicking off into the air.

“Not so high Hazza” Louis ordered slowly swinging absentmindedly while watching harry not listen and go as high as he could. He figured he would be okay so he didn’t reprimand him not wanting to ruin the fun he was clearly having.

“Everything alright? Why are you out here?” Liam asked getting on swing on Louis right side.

“Yea, I guess. I am just a little tired and I am trying to record everything from the uh... meeting in my brain.” Louis uttered while glancing quickly a Liam before going back to swinging slowly.

“Tell me it was good news.” Liam asked uneasy.

“It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad. We talked a lot about Harry. She needs to meet with Haz and everyone who helps me take care of him. She also needs to meet with his school and doctors and stuff.  Des’ Lawyers are probably going to have to do the same. It was a lot of information.” Louis explained shrugging.

“So she has hope though otherwise she wouldn’t go through all of that.” Liam pondered out loud.

“Yes, I guess she does.” Louis said sounding very unsure.

“This is good Lou” Liam said stopping the swing he was on to turn to look at Louis.

“I know I know I just don’t think that this knot in my stomach will go away until this is all over.” Louis stated glancing over to watch Harry go even higher. Before anyone could stop him Harry jumped from the swing while at his highest and flew down to the ground. If it hadn’t caused both of Liam’s and Louis’ heart to stop for thirty seconds it would have been pretty epic.

“Did you see Boo Bear!? I go high!” Harry enthused running too where Louis and Liam were swinging and clutching a hand to their chest trying not to freak out since Harry was okay.

“I did see Hazza you freaking flew” Louis said shaking the fear out and getting animated for Harry’s sake.

“Did you see my LiLi?” Harry asked all giddy.

“I did cupcake, who taught you how to do that, that was really cool” Liam said following Louis lead and deciding on a lively response instead of telling him how he scared the crap out of him.

“I teach” Harry said proudly standing in front of them jumping from feet to feet still feeling incredible after that jump .

“You did? Well you have to teach me sometime” Liam smiled.

“Okay my LiLi, Boo Bear I my LiLi Patrick” Harry informed while hopping on Louis’ lap.

“You are?” Louis asked wrapping his arm around Harry and looking at Liam who smiled broadly.

“Yes Boo Bear” Harry assured nodding.

“You are so lucky, only special people can be LiLi’s Patrick.” Louis said wrapping his arms tighter around Harry’s stomach to keep them on the swing.

“I special LiLi?” Harry questioned looking at Liam for confirmation.

“So special” Liam said leaning over to poke Harry in the side and making him giggle.

“I think it’s a good time for ice cream, what do you think Haz?” Louis said standing them both up.

“Yes! Boo Bear, with the little colors” Harry agreed happily pulling on Louis and Liam’s hands to lead to the ice cream parlor across the street.

“Anything you want love” Louis smiled letting himself be led.

“Anything I want to right, cause I am LiLi after all” Liam grinned ducking as Louis tried to swap at his head. Harry grabbed Liam by his middle and hugged him tight. Life was good.

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the rest. Enjoy!=D

**Chapter 8**

“Hazza we are supposed to be taking a nap love, why are you out of bed?” Louis groaned as he felt a cold finger poke his warm cheek.

 It had been a long day and he wanted to rest before his date with Brittany tonight. Harry was not one to take a nap but after much pleading and promises for a SpongeBob marathon he had finally closed his eyes.

“Boo Bear Please” Harry whined hovering over Louis still poking his cheek. Louis opened an eye and looked up at Harry when he heard the urgency in his voice.

“What is it Baby?” Louis cooed sitting up after seeing how red faced Harry was.

“My tummy yucky” Harry moaned from next to the bed holding his stomach.

“Oh no come here love” Louis bid sliding over and opening the comforter to let Harry into his bed.

“You feel really warm” Louis said to himself once he felt the warmth radiating off his forehead.

“Make it stop” Harry begged moving closer to Louis chest.

“I will baby, just stay here for a minute while I go get your tummy some medicine” Louis instructed laying Harry back on the pillows and climbing over him.

Louis went down to the cabinet in the kitchen where he locked away the medication and grabbed some liquid Paracetamol, medicine syringe, a cup of juice and the thermometer.

 “Here baby let’s take your temperature.” Louis told Harry who was falling asleep. He sat to the side of him and nudge him awake.

“Open your mouth and keep this under your tongue and no talking.” Louis instructed putting the thermometer in Harry’s mouth.

Louis passed his fingers through Harry’s hair while he waited for the thermometer to beep, hoping to comfort him. The beep scared Harry a little whose eyes had been closing.

“It’s 37C (99.1F), not that high, here drink this it will help you feel better.” Louis said helping Harry to sit up. He pulled back the plunger of the syringe to get the right amount of medicine into it. Harry would only drink medicine from a needleless-syringe. Well most of the time anyway.

“Yucky” Harry shook his head and held his lips tight as Louis brought the syringe to his lips.

“Harry, drink it, you won’t feel better until you do” Louis ordered sternly keeping the syringe at Harry’s lips. Harry shook his head making Louis let out a sigh and pull the syringe away.

“Please drink it for me baby, it will be yucky just for a second, then you drink the juice and it’s not yucky anymore.” Louis reasoned more softly passing his hand through Harry’s curls.

“Promise?” Harry asked pouting looking up at Louis through his curls.

“I promise love” Louis smiled reassuringly.

Harry considered his promise for a moment before opening his mouth and allowing Louis to push the syringe into his mouth. Harry pulled his face into a scowl almost gagging from the taste of the evil liquid making its way to his stomach.

“Here drink some juice” Louis directed handing Harry the cup that was half-filled with apple juice.

“Still yucky” Harry pouted after drinking some of the juice not appreciating that he could still taste the medicine on his tongue.

“I’m sorry baby” Louis apologized kissing Harry’s forehead frowning when he felt the heat on it. Hopefully the medicine would help his temperature go down.

“Cuddles?” Harry requested yawning and covering his mouth.

“Of course Hazza” Louis agreed getting into his big bed sitting so Harry could lay his head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around his sickly boy.

“I see SpongeBob please” Harry requested moving his head up to look up at his Boo Bear with big eyes.

“I think that is just what is needed, cuddles and talking sponges” Louis smirked kissing Harry’s nose. Louis got the remote from the side table and searched for the channel that held Harry’s true comfort.

“Who is that?” Louis asked Harry who was despite feeling poorly, happily watching SpongeBob and Patrick talking about the sun or a hole or something.

“Patrick” Harry replied not looking away from Louis’ large TV set.

“And who is that?” Louis questioned. He liked to ask Harry questions to make sure he is retaining the things he saw and did.

“Squiggy” Harry responded moving further back into Louis chest.

“What is he doing?” Louis asked.

“Boo Bear , too many askings” Harry stated annoyance clear in his voice. Louis had to laugh at his tone. No one could mess with his damn SpongeBob.

“Okay, okay I will just watch.” Louis said giving up not wanting to make Harry upset seeing as he was already feeling sick.

Louis looked at his phone and saw that it was already 7pm. He was going to have to call Brittany to cancel. He couldn’t leave Harry while he was sick.

Just as he was about to dial her number his bedroom door flew open scaring him half to death. Harry of course paid no attention SpongeBob was talking.

“There you guys are” Liam grinned when he saw the two boys on the bed.

“Gosh Liam you gave me a heart attack, ever heard of knocking” Louis questioned once his heart returned to its normal rate.

“Sorry mate, we did knock but you didn’t answer so we let ourselves in” Liam explained walking further into the room.

“Hi cupcake” Liam greeted sitting on the other side of Harry and Louis on the bed.

“SpongeBob” was Harry’s response making the two boys glance at each other above his head and roll their eyes. Harry was obsessed with that damn sponge.

“We?” Louis inquired remembering Liam said ‘we let ourselves in’.

“I brought Niall and Zayn to simultaneously watch Harry and the Futbol match.  They are downstairs eating your food.” Liam said casually leaning back on the headboard.

“I see, well you don’t have to watch Harry anymore, I was just about to call Brittany to cancel our date.” Louis stated looking at his phone.

“What why? You were excited just a little while ago.” Liam asked looking at Louis.

“I was but Harry has a fever and I don’t want to leave him.” Louis explained passing his hand through Harry’s curls.

“Oh poor thing” Liam said putting a hand on Harry’s forehead wincing at the heat coming off of it.

“So I will just reschedule” Louis informed looking absentmindedly at the tv.

“Don’t do that, I am here Louis, I will take care of him, go on your date it’s been long enough” Liam reassured smiling softly at him.

“But he gets even more needy when he is sick and I will be worried the entire time” Louis justified wrapping Harry tighter to his chest.

“Louis, have I ever let you down. I know how to take care of him, I am his LiLi. Besides I am much better of taking care of sick people anyway, remember Daddy Direction over here.” Liam declared proudly.

“I know I know but..are you sure?” Louis asked rethinking his decision. Liam was definitely beyond reliable. Everyone went to him when they need…well anything.

“I am hurt that you even have to ask” Liam said putting a hand to his chest.

“Okay I will go, just call me if anything happens” Louis urged.

“Yes of course” Liam assured.

“Ssh, talking too much” Harry said covering Louis mouth with his big hand.

“You better go change before someone decides to kill you” Liam said smirking accepting Harry into his arms as Louis got off the bed to go get ready for his date.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

“We WIN!!!!!!” Niall screamed definitely not using the indoor voice that Liam had told him to use just five minutes ago.

“You Lose! You are a Loser! That is a capital L-O-S-E-R- LOSER!! Winning feels so good, but you wouldn’t know because you are a LOSER!!!!” Liam rolled his eyes as Niall and Zayn danced around the room screaming because Manchester United had just beat West Brom. Psh…whatever.

“Will you two twats shut up, Harry is asleep and you were just lucky” Liam scolded slightly annoyed that his was on the losing team.

“Whatever, he should know that his LiLi is a LOSER!!!” Niall yelled in his face making Zayn start rolling on the floor cackling not being able to handle Liam’s losing face, it was incredibly hilarious.

“I really wish you could see your face right now, the face of a total LOSER, it’s priceless” Zayn said still in a fit of laughter.

“You guys suck” Liam declared shaking his head leaning back on the couch he was sitting on.

“LiLi” Harry called from the door way.

“You see you woke up Harry now” Liam sighed getting off the couch although Niall and Zayn did not bother to stop celebrating.

“Cupcake, you should be asleep” Liam said softly as he held a hand to Harry’s forehead.

“My tummy yucky” Harry cried tears slipping from his green eyes and moving to lay his head Liam shoulders.

“Wow Haz you are really warm. Let’s go sit down on the couch” Liam said leading Harry to sit with him.  Zayn nudge Niall to shut up when he saw Harry crying.

“Baby are you feeling poorly?” Zayn asked taking him from Liam and wrapping him up on his lap also feeling the warmth radiating off of Harry’s slightly shaking body.

“Tummy yucky Zaynie” Harry whimpered nuzzling into Zayn’s neck.

“My Poor Hazzy” Zayn cooed rocking him slightly and wrapping the throw around him.

“Let me go get a thermometer and some medicine, Niall help me” Liam instructed walking towards the kitchen with Niall on his heels.

“I want my Lou” Harry requested from Zayn’s neck.

“Lou will be back soon love” Zayn reassured only making Harry let out more tears.

“Here we go cupcake, let’s see if we can get that temperature down and make your tummy feel better.” Liam said sitting on the couch next to Harry with thermometer and medicine in hand.

Liam put the thermometer into Harry’s mouth and waited for it to beep; really hoping that it wasn’t as bad as it felt.

“Man, its 38C (102F)” Liam sighed. He got the empty syringe putting it into the medicine and pulled back on the plunger to get the appropriate dose.

“Okay here drink this” Liam instructed putting the syringe to Harry’s chapped lips.

“No medi yucky” Harry shook his head burrowing his head in Zayn’s neck who was rubbing his back soothingly.

“I know baby, but it will make you feel better, can you be a big boy for LiLi and drink it please?” Liam pleaded waiting for Harry to uncover himself from his current hideout.

“Big boy” Harry agreed quietly after thinking it over and turned his head back to Liam. He swallowed the liquid making a face as it went down his throat.

“Good job Hazzy, drink some juice it will take that nasty taste away.” Zayn suggested handing Harry the cup of juice Liam had brought. Harry swallowed it quickly some of it slipping down his chin.  Liam cringed when Harry wiped his chin with his white shirt, but decided now was not the time to be OCD.

“Haz I got some yummy soup for you” Niall announced coming back into the living room with the bowl of soup he had heated up.

“No hungry” Harry mumbled shaking his head.

“Just try eating a little bit Haz” Niall urged sitting on the table in front of him spooning up some soup.

“No NiNi, tummy yucky” Harry whined tears falling down again.

“You haven’t eaten dinner sweetie why don’t you try to eat some of it” Liam tried patting Harry’s knee. Harry could never refuse Liam.

“A little bit” Harry settled wiping his tears with a hand.

“Great” Niall said feeding Harry some soup.

“You have got to show me how you do that” Zayn whispered to Liam as Harry ate up the soup.

“That is my little secret” Liam smiled.

“No more NiNi” Harry stated after the sixth swallow. He laid his head back on Zayn’s shoulder and put his thumb in his mouth signifying that he was done.

“Yup, you are done” Niall had to smile at Harry’s signature ‘leave me the hell alone’ move.

“Let’s get you back into bed so you can sleep” Zayn said as Harry’s eyes began to droop.

“Stay here please” Harry pleaded looking up at Zayn with those incredibly cute puppy eyes.

“Like I can say no” Zayn said moving back so Harry could lie on his chest. Liam shook his head at how easy Zayn was but lifted Harry’s legs onto his lap.

“How about we watch some SpongeBob I am sure he is doing some hilarious stuff as we speak” Niall suggested turning on the TV and moving to the couch on the opposite side of the room.

“What do we do if his temp doesn’t go down” Zayn whispered to Liam worried at how high Harry’s temperature was even though they had given him medication already.

“Let’s just give it like an hour, if it hasn’t gone down then we will take other measures” Liam explained not wanting to say the word Hospital in front of Harry. Zayn nodded his head playing with Harry’s curls lulling him to sleep before SpongeBob could even return from commercials.

About 15 minutes into SpongeBob falling in love with a Krabby Patty Harry suddenly whined and popped up.

“Whoa what’s wrong buddy?” Liam asked as Harry was scrambling out of Zayn’s lap.

“I think he is going to be sick” Niall said frantically noticing Harry’s puffed out cheeks as he ran from the room.

Harry was leaning over the toilet heaving up everything he had just ingested once the boys had gotten to the bathroom.

“Oh Haz” Liam sighed kneeling down next to the still heaving boy and rubbed circles on his back.

“Want my Lou” Harry begged once he was finished and sagged into Liam’s chest.

“I know he will be back really soon” Liam replied. “How long has it been since we took his temperature?” Liam asked.

“Like 30 minutes I think” Niall responded looking at his watch.

“Okay, can you go get the thermometer Niall” Liam instructed “we should probably put him in a cool bath” he added to Zayn who quickly started to fill the tub.

“Here Li” Niall panted rushing back into the bathroom with the thermometer.

Liam put the thermometer through Harry’s pouting lips, telling him that everything was okay when Harry whined through the annoying device invading his mouth.

“Let’s get him in the bath, its 39C (103F)” Liam urged moving Harry softly from his chest and standing him up.

“I sleepy” Harry moaned trying to sit back down.

“We know buddy, just give us a second.” Liam said holding him firmly so he couldn’t sit back down. Zayn quickly removed Harry’s shirt and pj bottoms leaving him in boxers and then helped Liam put Harry in the water-filled tub.

“Too cold LiLi” Harry uttered trying to get back out.

“Hold on cupcake, just sit here for a little bit” Liam said holding him down by his shoulders. Niall took the opportunity to go find Harry some dry warm clothes sensing that most likely they would have to go to the hospital.

“LiLi please” Harry cried tears falling down his face frustrated that he was feeling sick and was now really cold.

“Haz, did you see what just happened in SpongeBob just now?”  Zayn questioned perched on the side of the tub, hoping to perk his interest.

“No see” Harry sniffed shaking his head seemingly forgetting that he was cold now looking attentively at Zayn.

“Well SpongeBob became a life guard…Do you know what a life guard is?” Zayn asked looking down at Harry.

“They at pool” Harry replied slightly shivering but fully focused on what Zayn was saying.

“Right, so anyway the starfish. What’s his name again?” Zayn quizzed even though he definitely knew all the characters from how many times he had watched that god forsaken show with Harry.

“Patrick” Harry answered all knowingly.

“Right, Patrick he went to visit SpongeBob at the pool and then Patrick started drowning” Zayn said dramatically making Harry gasp. Liam glanced over at Niall who was standing at the doorway and shared a smile. They had never seen Zayn so animated. It was amazing how not only Harry had changed in these past 3 years.

“So SpongeBob was going to jump in to the pool but do you know what happened then?” Zayn asked.

“What?” Harry asked extremely curious.

“SpongeBob forgot that he didn’t know how to swim” Zayn said putting his arms in the air theatrically. Harry gasped and reached over to squeeze Zayn’s knee.

“But Patrick!” Harry exclaimed extremely worried. Zayn thought it was funny because they lived in the ocean so how could they drown but that’s beside the point.

“Not to worry Larry the Lobster saved Patrick he is safe” Zayn assured smiling when Harry put his hand to his chest in relief.

“Safe” Harry repeated.

“Now that we know Patrick is safe, it is time for you to get out” Liam smirked helping Harry stand up.

Niall wrapped harry in a white towel and dried him completely. While Liam held Harry, Zayn covered his cold body with a pair of his comfiest sweats and a hoodie (yes it did have SpongeBob in the front).

“Cupcake, why are you walking like that?” Liam asked noticing how Harry was limping to the living room.

“Tummy hurts” Harry replied.

“Can you show me where?” Liam asked lifting up the bottom of Harry’s hoodie.

“There” Harry said pointing to his right lower abdomen.

“Crap” Liam said passing his hair through his face. “We are going to take a little trip can you sit on the couch for me cupcake.” Liam instructed.

“What’s wrong?” Niall asked as Zayn stood waiting for Liam’s answer.

“I think he has appendicitis, we need to take him to the hospital” Liam said quietly.

“Damn, I will get his shoes” Zayn informed grabbing Harry’s shoes from the door and going to go put them on.

“I’ll drive” Niall announced grabbing his keys from the table.

“I’ll call Louis on the way, let’s go” Liam said leading everyone to Niall’s jeep.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be biased cause I wrote this but I love this chapter. Comments anyone??


	10. Chapter 10

“Ugh!! He is still not answering. I have left him a thousand messages and texts but they can’t wait any longer.” Liam said stressfully walking around the blue curtain enclosing the cubicle.

Liam had been calling Louis since they left the house but it was going straight to voicemail. He figured that maybe the phone had died, that would be the only reason he wouldn’t answer. Louis was glued to his phone, more obsessed than a drug addict on crack.

The boys were huddled around Harry in the emergency department waiting to see what was going to happen next. They had just been informed that Harry had appendicitis requiring surgery before it ruptured and cause major damage.

“Crap, of all the times not to pick up the phone” Niall expressed fussing with the light blanket covering a thumb sucking Harry. He smiled down at him and kissed his forehead trying not to worry him.

“Don't they need like Louis’ permission to do the surgery?” Zayn asked biting his nail anxiously. He was standing on the other side of Harry and looked on the verge of tears. The last time Harry had surgery was because of the accident that robbed him of so many things.

Even though they had been reassured that an appendectomy was a common procedure and rarely had any complications Zayn was still beyond worried. Harry would still have to be put under anesthesia and he would still be cut open. Plus, there was the fact that he would be in pain afterwards. Zayn could not handle a sick Harry.

“Since it is an emergency they let me give them the permission they needed to do it. They are going to come get him in a little bit.” Liam explained standing at the foot of the bed. He tucked his phone into his pants pocket and rubbed Harry’s legs in hopes to comfort him.

“Damn, I will go call Sally and Harold, I promised I would let them know what was going on” Niall informed already dialing the correct number and walking around the curtain.

“Zaynie?” Harry called softly having briefly removing his thumb from his mouth.

“What’s up babes?” Zayn replied walking around the bed and crouching down so he was eye level with his Hazzy.

“What surgery mean?” Harry asked around his thumb looking extremely worried. Liam sighed from where he stood still caressing Harry’s legs. In all the chaos they had forgotten to explain what was going on to Harry himself.

“It means that you are going to take a little nap and then when you wake up you will be all fixed.” Zayn explained looking for reassurance that he had said the right thing to Liam. Liam smiled and nodded to put Zayn at ease.

“I broke?” Harry questioned his lips pursed. He fully removed his thumb from his mouth and started playing with the quiff that decorated Zayn’s forehead.

“Just your tummy, but the doctors are going to fix you all up” Zayn reassured with a bright smile.

“Promise Zaynie?” Harry asked slightly tugging at Zayn’s quiff and watching it bounce back into place.

“I absolutely promise love” Zayn nodded and passed his hand through Harry’s hair.

“Sure my LiLi?” Harry asked looking over at Liam still uncertain.

“Yes love, the doctors are going to fix you all up. You will be jumping around in no time” Liam smiled and squeezed his feet gently.

“But my LiLi where my boo bear?” Harry pouted as the boys watched tears pool in his emerald eyes. “I want my boo bear”

“He is coming love as fast as he can” Liam lied, bending down to wipe the tears that had fallen down Harry’s cheeks and bopped his nose. He really hoped that Louis had gotten his messages and texts and that he was really on his way.

++++++

“Oh my god Liam, how is he? My phone was dead and I didn’t get your messages until we were leaving and then there was a freaking accident that caused a traffic jam and lasted way to long…” Louis rambled once he finally had entered the right waiting room and found Liam sitting on a chair scrolling through his phone.

“Relax Louis, He if fine” Liam assured standing up and holding Louis by the shoulder to calm him down “the doctor was just here, he is out of surgery and in recovery. I was just letting the guys know and then was heading over there when you came in”

“Oh thank god” Louis expressed falling into the nearest chair letting out a sigh in relief.

“I don’t know why you are so relieved, like I was going to let anything happen to him” Liam smiled tousling Louis hair taking the seat next to him.

“Of course I know that, but he had surgery and I wasn’t even here” Louis laid his head in his hands trying to calm down. He could feel his hands shaking and the blood vessels in his head were pounding against his skull.

Louis had been feeling guilty that he had left Harry when he was feeling sick in the first place. Then he spent his first date with Brittany talking about the sweetness that is his Hazza for most of the evening. When he had finally gotten the chance to charge his phone in the car and heard all of the urgent messages from Liam he couldn’t help but feel shame. He should have never left.

Brittany tried to reassure him that everything was going to be fine and that it wasn’t his fault. How was he to know? He was somewhat comforted but it didn’t stop him from breaking some speeding laws. It was very unfortunate and not at all welcomed when Louis found himself sitting in a traffic jam for about an hour.

“I can’t believe I wasn’t here. How was he? Was he scared?” Louis asked lifting his head suddenly, needing to know.

“He was fine Lou, he didn’t even cry when they put the IV in. Zayn told him that he was going to take a little nap and when he woke up he would be all better. That seemed to appease him a bit.” Liam explained. “He did cry for you though”

“Oh God, maybe he should live with Des, I totally suck.” Louis stated as his head found refuge in his hands once again.

“I can guarantee you that it would have been the nanny bringing him to the hospital and not Des. He would have been in some meeting or something. Patty would have been getting her precious manicure and I am sure the nanny would suck too. You didn’t know Lou, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Liam declared putting a comforting hand on Louis shoulder.

“You are just saying that, I suck.” Louis objected keeping his head in his hands and sighing sadly.

“No Lou, you really don’t, you didn’t know, I think you should be more upset that God didn’t give you the power to know the future or I don’t know read minds or something.” Liam suggested lighten the mood a bit and squeezing Louis’ shoulder gently.

“You’re a fool, you do know that right?” Louis smiled slightly glancing over at Liam.

“I learned from the best” Liam replied tousling Louis’ hair and standing up. “You want to go see him now, or is there more dialogue from “the irrationally guilty”.

“Shut it Payne” Louis said standing up after him and walking towards the door. “Let’s go see my Hazza”

“Sounds good” Liam led the two down the hallway towards the room the nurse had said that Harry would be in. Liam stopped abruptly almost passing room “22”. Louis, who was directly behind him and looking at his shoes, bumped into his back bringing him away from his self-deprecating thoughts.

“A little warning would be nice Li” Louis said rubbing his forehead.

“Sorry mate, this is his room, I’ll let you go in alone, I will go see where Tweedledee and Tweedledum are.” Liam said before leaving Louis at a door with a big Winnie the Pooh painted on the center of it.

“Okay” Louis sighed to prepare himself, he knocked on the door softly before pushing it open.

Louis felt peace as soon as he walked through the door. The room was painted light blue and had Winnie the Pooh characters decorating the upper portion of the walls. There was a big window on the opposite side of the wall that at the moment displayed a beautiful starry night.

Harry lay on dark blue sheets on a hospital bed in the middle of the room. Two pillows propped him up and he was softly smiling at whatever cartoon was on the television. He hadn’t even realized that he wasn’t alone anymore.

“Hazza Bear, you’re awake” Louis cooed walking further into Harry’s line of vision.

“Boo bear” Harry whispered smiling brightly. He sat up carefully and opened his arms wide allowing Louis into them, hugging him tightly when he did so.

“How is my baby feeling?” Louis asked sitting onto the side of the bed facing Harry. He gently moved Harry’s curls from his face and stroked his cheek.

“I scared” Harry admitted pouting softly.

“Aww you don’t have to be scared you are fine now” Louis reassured cupping both his cheeks and kissing his forehead.

“But where you were?” Harry questioned biting at his bottom lip.

“I came as fast as I could, I was stuck in traffic. I am so sorry baby, can you forgive Boo Bear?” Louis asked mirroring Harry’s pout with one of his own.

“Okay” Harry nodded forgiving Louis easily and smiling lazily, the drugs he had been given affecting him.

“Thank you love” Louis said kissing his nose. “Do you feel better?”

“All better boo bear” Harry replied cheerily. “Pretty lady make better”

“Oh the pretty nurse made you feel all better did she?” Louis smiled to which Harry nodded.

“Give little bunny” Harry revealed a little white plush bunny from under the covers.

“She must think you are really cool” Louis professed making Harry blush.

“I cool” Harry agreed bringing the bunny closer to his chest and lying back on the many pillows keeping him propped up.

Louis stood up and fussed with his blankets making sure they were covering him enough to keep him warm. He filled the pitcher with some water and put in on the rolling side table that was currently at the foot of the bed.

“Boo Bear?” Harry called when the cartoon he had been previously watching went to commercials.

“Yes love?” Louis asked turning around from closing the window curtains.

“Sing my song please” Harry pleaded in what had to be the sweetest voice in the history of sweet voices. If Louis was going to deny that request there was no way he could now.

“Of course Hazza” Louis grinned and sat next to Harry. He propped his legs up so they rested on the bed touching Harry’s calves seeing as Louis was much shorter. He then put his arm around Harry’s shoulders and pulled him into his chest.

“Ready?” Louis asked holding him tighter and burrowing his head into his curls.

“Ready” Harry assured waiting patiently.

 _“Soft kitty,_  
  
Warm kitty,   
  
Little ball of fur.  
  
Happy kitty,   
  
Sleepy kitty,   
  
Purr Purr Purr”

Harry smiled blissfully up at his Boo Bear. He loved kitties just as much as he loved bunnies and SpongeBob and that was quite a lot. He loved it when his Boo Bear sang him his song because it made him feel happy and sleepy just like the little kitty in the song.

“Love my song Boo Bear” Harry gushed. “Little bunny love song too” he added kissing the bunny that was still crushed to his chest.

“He does? I am so glad. You should sing it to him sometime” Louis proposed smiling down at Harry.  


“No, you sing cool” Harry expressed thoughtfully.

“Well thank you bud, I bet you would sound cool too, what if I teach you? Will you try it?” Louis asked.

Harry was so shy to sing in front of any one, even Louis. He had heard him sometimes singing to his stuffed animals but always stopped as soon as he noticed Louis standing in the doorway. He missed Harry’s singing voice and hoped to really hear it one day.

“Bunny like when you sing” Harry stated shaking his head to confirm that he would not try. Louis was just about to beg him to sings when the door creaked opened.

“Oh baby look who is here” Louis said looking up towards the doorway seeing Harry’s maternal grandmother, Sally, standing there. Louis stood up and moved a chair to the other side of the bed so that Sally could sit down.

“Hello, my beautiful boy” Sally cooed at her grandson as soon as she laid eyes on him.

“Hi Gammy” Harry greeted quietly suddenly extremely sleepy.

“How is my darling boy doing?” Sally asked as she sat down and grabbed his hand.

“No more yucky Gammy” Harry assured with a gentle smile.

“Good. I heard that you did so good in surgery just like a big boy” Sally smiled down at her only grandson.

“Big Boy” Harry nodded proudly.

“I see you already have a little friend there but maybe you have room for one more” Sally said taking out a little blue bunny from her purse and laying it on Harry’s chest next to the white one that already laid there.

“Thank you Gammy, now little bunny no ‘lone” Harry said happily.

“I am glad I could help with that dear” Sally replied fond littering her eyes.

“Gammy I so sleepy” Harry said rubbing at his eyes.

“Well you just close your eyes love and go to sleep” Sally instructed. “I love you” she added kissing his cheek.

“Love you” Harry said shutting his eyes and sighing deeply.

“Glad to see you made it Louis” Sally said a soon as Harry’s eyes closed and breathing evened out.  Louis wasn’t sure but he felt that her tone sounded a little snarky which was really unusual because Sally was usually really kind to him.

“I tried to get here as soon as I could, there was a really bad accident and I didn’t get the message until way later.” Louis defended himself worried at the tone that Sally was using.

“And just where were you?” Sally questioned moving her chair away to not disturb Harry and closer to where Louis sat at the foot of the bed.

 “I was um… having dinner with a friend” Louis replied awkwardly feeling the guilt come back.

“I hope it was worth it” Sally rolled her eyes with ice clear in her voice.

“Sally, I didn’t know he had appendicitis and that he was going to need surgery. Obviously I would have been with him if I had known” Louis putting his hand to his chest feeling his heart speed up.

“Of course Louis and if you were middle aged and married you wouldn’t have had to leave him with strangers to go out with some friend. He was crying for you and you were nowhere to be found. That is not what he needs.” Sally commented folding her arms across her chest.

“I didn’t leave him with strangers, the guys are family and I really hope you aren’t saying what I think you are saying.” Louis remarked. He thought that he had the support from Harry’s grandparents. Now it seemed he was going to have to fight Des and them as well.

“Maybe Des was right after all. He would be better off with him instead of a kid” Sally responded callously.

Louis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could Des, who had been absent for three years be better than him. He had stuck by Harry all these years and now all of a sudden he was not good for him. It didn’t make any sense.

Before Louis could further question it there was a soft knock before the door opened.

“Oh hey Sally, Harold said you had come back up here. He asked me to let you know that he was bringing the car around.” Liam smiled politely even though Louis could tell that it was a fake smile. Sally didn’t seem to notice or care.

“Isn’t he going to come up and see Harry?” Louis asked despite the fact that he wanted both of them gone as soon as possible.

“Unlike some people he saw him before surgery. We will stop by later this week, right now we need to make a few phone calls” Sally replied coldly. She got off the chair and bent over to give Harry a kiss on the forehead. Without another word she strolled out of the room a let the door close behind her.

“I wonder what is wrong with her all of a sudden” Louis mused after the door shut.

“Probably the same thing that was up with Harold” Liam replied taking the seat Sally had vacated . “We had some choice words.

“What happened?” Louis questioned looking over at Harry making sure that he was still asleep.

“Well basically he thought that Des would be better to take care of things or whatever. Then I told him to “bugger off” and he was like “well I never” Then I said “screw you” and I left.” Liam explained smiling sheepishly. “Also, he never actually said that he was bringing the car around, I just wanted Sally to leave, so she may be upset later.” He added before sitting down in the chair Sally had occupied.

“I would say, maybe you shouldn’t have said all of that but really I felt like telling Sally the same thing.” Louis stated sitting crossed legged at the foot of Harry’s bed.

They sat in silence for a while watching a Futbol game. Louis wasn’t sure if Liam was really paying any attention because he kept scrolling through his phone. However, he knew for a fact that he had no idea who was winning or even playing.

The guilt he had earlier had made its way back into his mind but now it was accompanied with fear, uncertainty, and definitely some sadness. With all these people against him how could a judge rule in his favor?

“Li…I am going to lose him” Louis cried suddenly into his hands. Louis outburst caused Liam to almost drop his phone. He recaptured it in his hand and stood up quickly.

“No, you aren’t Lou” Liam assured wrapping Louis in a hug and rubbing his back.

“Don’t say that, you don’t know” Louis said into Liam’s shoulder. “I thought Sally and Harold would have my back but they also think I am not good enough. I should have never gone on that date.”

“Okay, you are right I don’t know how this will all turn out. But, I do know that you are good enough. I don’t even want to think in what state Harry would have been in if Des had been the one taking care of him all these years. Sally and Harold are just tripping. People go crazy the older they get. Once, my great-granny got into a fight with our next-door neighbor because apparently he didn’t like her stealing his prized roses. So she threw a lamp at him so that he could “lighten” up” Liam said pulling back from Louis to regard his face.

“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome” Louis chuckled wiping his tears away. “I really want all this stuff to be over.” Louis expressed falling back into Liam’s chest. Liam rubbed his back knowing it would help to console him.

“Me too but until then you have us, we are here to catch you when you fall…or something less lame” Liam laughed heartily.

“Aww you sap” Louis chuckled still in Liam’s warm embrace.

“Boo Bear, tummy hurts” Harry complained rubbing his eyes and sitting up with a pout.

“Oh, lay back down love and I will go get the nurse” Louis instructed. “Look who is here”

“My LiLi, you here” Harry stated not having seen him standing there earlier.

“Hi Cupcake” Liam greeted bending over to kiss his cheek while Louis went to get the nurse.

“My LiLi, where Zaynie and NiNi?” Harry asked sticking his thumb into his mouth.

“Never fear we are right here Haz!” Niall exclaimed walking through the door having heard Harry ask for his whereabouts.

 “Look what we have for you Hazzy” Zayn announced following Niall who was holding a pretty big yellow basket full of stuff and three SpongeBob get well balloons on top.

“What in there?” Harry asked as Liam raised the bed up so he could take a better look at the basket Niall placed on the bed side table.

“Well check it out” Niall said pushing the table closer to him.

Harry’s eyes almost bugged out.

“Many SpongeBob” Harry admired pulling out every item. The basket was stock full of SpongeBob products. There were SpongeBob stickers, figures, coloring books, crayons, charm necklace, pencils, silly bands, sunglasses, hat, fleece blanket, night light, shampoo, hair gel, hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, watch, shirt and wristband. Everything you could think of.

“All for you” Zayn grinned as he watched Harry analyze every piece from the foot of the bed.

“Do you like it?” Niall asked sitting on a chair next to Harry.

“SpongeBob NiNi” Harry nodded excitedly.

“What do you say Harry?” Liam prodded.

“Thank you” Harry said distractedly flipping through his new SpongeBob sticker book.

“I don’t think he cares about us anymore” Liam laughed watching Harry from the side of the bed.

They sat around Harry’s bed letting him explain why everything was really cool and how it was best thing he had ever seen. Eventually not even SpongeBob could make Harry forget the pain he felt from his side.

“LiLi, tummy hurts” Harry whined laying back on the pillows. His SpongeBob stuff lay momentarily forgotten at his feet. Just then Louis walked back into the room with a nurse closely behind him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting cutie” The nurse apologized smiling brightly at Harry.

“Ok” Harry nodded blushing slightly. A soft “aww” came from Zayn’s lips when Harry hid his face into his little white and blue bunnies.

“This will make you feel all better” The nurse said as she pushed the medication into a port in the IV on Harry’s hand. “Nice SpongeBob stuff you got there” she added while the medication made its way into Harry’s system.

“Zaynie and NiNi give” Harry said reaching for the SpongeBob blanket next to him.

“That’s just what he needs more SpongeBob stuff” Louis said rolling his eyes playfully.

“Hey, be cool” Zayn said sticking out his tongue and pushing Louis slightly.

“I think my favorite is Sandy the Squirrel for obvious reasons who is your favorite Harry?” the nurse asked pointing to the name board on the wall showing that her name was in fact Sandy.

“Umm…all like” Harry answered after considering it for a moment.

“I bet it is hard to pick a favorite” Nurse Sandy smiled then looked over the IV pump to make sure everything was in order.

“NiNi, lady name Sandy” Harry informed Niall who was seated in a chair next to him. The nurse looked over at them smirking.

“Is it now” Niall said glancing at the very attractive nurse who then began looking at the bandage that covered the incisions from Harry’s laparoscopic appendectomy.

“Sandy hair like you” Harry stated looking between Sandy and Niall for reassurance that both had short blonde hair. Of course Niall’s hair was shaped in a masculine manner whereas Sandy had a pixie cut that worked very well for her.

“Oh so this is the guy you were telling me about then, the guy that has my hair and my eyes and that I would like a whole lot because no one pushes the swings like him. This is him right?” Nurse Sandy inquired winking at Niall.

“NiNi” Harry nodded poking Niall in the cheek. If Niall wasn’t blushing he for sure was now.

“I see it’s very nice to meet you NiNi” Nurse Sandy said politely extending her hand out for Niall to shake. Which he did while mumbling a “nice to meet you too”.

“Well, if you need anything else just give me a call.” Nurse Sandy said to Harry before looking at Louis and nodding.

“Wait, have Sandy sticker” Harry carefully peeled a Sandy the Squirrel sticker from his sticker book and held it out for Nurse Sandy to take.

“Oh my goodness, you are a sweetie, I love it and will put it right here.” Nurse Sandy exclaimed taking the sticker and attaching it to her badge. She gave Niall another wink before walking out.

“Thanks” Louis called after her before the door closed.

“Dang Niall! Looks like Harry has got your back” Zayn laughed when it was just the boys once again in the room.

“I need to remember this just in case, Louis you should make Harry a business card.” Liam chuckled. Zayn was clutching his stomach from how hard he was laughing and Harry was laughing because Zayn was.

 “Well thanks Haz, even though that was so embarrassing” Niall said poking Harry’s cheek.

“Even Haz knows you got no game. If I were you I would go get her number like right now, you could probably take Harry with you” Louis said laughing at Niall’s expense.

“You guys suck, Harry is the only one I love” Niall said sticking his tongue out at his friends who were still finding the previous dialogue hilarious. Harry shared a Patrick figure with Niall which meant that he loved him too.

“Knock, Knock” a voice said from the doorway.

“Brittany? I thought you were going to take a cab home.” Louis asked surprised seeing her in the room. He got off the bed and went to give her a hug. He had last heard from her like two hours ago and imagined that she was tucked into bed already.

“I was but then I got distracted at the gift shop so I figured I would come meet Harry, since you told me so much about him” Brittany replied after saying hello to the rest of the lads.

“Right, well Harry this is Brittany she is our friend from work and this cutie, is Harry” Louis introduced.

“Hi Harry, it’s so nice to finally meet you” Brittany waved standing at the side of his bed with a smile.

“Hi” Harry whispered and then hid under his SpongeBob blanket feeling shy as he often did with people he didn’t know.

“You know I actually didn’t head home because my purse was just weighing me down cause of this” Brittany informed pulling the blanket down softly from Harry’s face to reveal a massive SpongeBob stuffed doll.

“I figured I should give him to someone who could take better care of him than me, know anyone?” Brittany asked Harry.

“Me” Harry nodded quickly making the boys laugh.

“You promise?” Brittany asked.

“Promise” Harry nodded even more frantic.

“Okay, here you go” Brittany said handing the plush sponge into Harry’s waiting hands.

“Thank you” Harry beamed not even having to be reminded of his manners. Harry was passing his hands all over SpongeBob’s face before he crushed it to his chest.

“You didn’t have to do that but thank you, I am pretty sure he will love you forever now” Louis thanked kissing her cheek.

“That was the plan” Brittany winked holding on to Louis hand.

“And on that note I got to go” Niall announced standing up quickly.

“Where are you going?” Zayn asked curiously.

“To get me a number” Niall said quickly heading out the door not staying behind to hear the lads start laughing hysterically.


	11. Chapter 11

Most days London would be found to be filled with people huddled under umbrellas to escape the rain that was wreaking havoc around the city.

Luckily today it was a beautiful, sunny day. A few white clouds were slightly settled in front of a high bright sun. The sun looked strong today, like it would personally fight off any rain clouds that tried to make an appearance.

For once you wouldn’t be able to tell where the sky stopped and the ocean started.

It seemed that the weather had positively affected everyone’s mood. Joggers who would usually be fully engrossed in the music playing through their headphones where waving energetically as they by passed strangers. Businessmen actually skipped to work happy to be able to walk without any sort of protection from the emotional weather.

The hustle and bustle of London didn’t seem so irritating now that the sun had dried up all the rain clouds.

Even the animals were pleased. Dogs were chasing squirrels and bees flew from flower to flower. There were even actual birds singing from atop the warmth and comfort of their homes.

Some people thought birds singing so early in the morning were extremely annoying. But Harry felt special that the birds outside his window chose him to sing their song too every morning.

Harry awoke much earlier than usual but he was just so tired of being in his bed even if it was the coolest bed he had ever been in. I mean it’s a race car, obviously awesome.

He had been stuck in bed for a long time since he was still recovering from his surgery. At least that’s what his Boo Bear had told him every time he asked why he couldn’t go to the swings.

Not all his days had been boring though. He did enjoy waking up late and watching cartoons for most of the day with his Boo Bear. Sometimes Zaynie would come over and draw pictures for him to color. Other days NiNi would come and play whatever Harry wanted to play. LiLi and Elle came a couple of times and watch movies with him, even if he really only wanted his LiLi.   He even got to eat in bed, which was beyond awesome.

 It was all fun but eventually he started missing his swings. His boo bear promised that they would go to the swings soon, but it just wasn’t soon enough for him.

As soon as his eyes focused and the sun shone through the window he had made up his mind, he was going to go to the swings. He wasn’t completely sure where they were though. Usually he just let Louis lead or His LiLi, or Zaynie, or NiNi basically he didn’t know where they were but he was sure he could find them. How hard could it be?

When the birds started to sing he decided he would have to leave quickly so that he could be back before his Lou even woke up. He wasn’t sure what time it was but since Boo Bear didn’t come wake him up he assumed he was still sleeping.

Harry practically flew out of bed and went to the bathroom doing everything that he knew he was supposed to do. He usually didn’t worry about making noise but this time he was extremely quiet for fear of waking up his Boo Bear. He was certain that his Lou would not let him go to the swings, especially not by himself.

Once Harry finished in the bathroom he went to his dresser to find something proper to wear. In his opinion the SpongeBob pajamas he was currently donning were the most proper thing to wear, they were the coolest thing he owned.  But his Lou says he has to wear jeans and a shirt when he goes outside so he just grabbed the first thing his hands touched which happened to be black jeans and a plain blue shirt.

After he changed he went to find some shoes for his sock covered feet. He glanced around the closet finally deciding on a pair of grey converse. It wasn’t until after he had put them on that he realized that he didn’t remember the bunny song his Lou had taught him. He sat on his bum in front of his closet trying to remember the song. Was the bunny supposed to cross the tree or pop out first? After thinking it over for a few more seconds he decided he didn’t have time to waste on such frivolous things, the swings were calling him. He stuck the laces into the shoes and figured that would work too.

Harry very slowly and very quietly turned the knob of his bedroom door. He poked his head out and smiled when it was still dark in the hallway. That meant that his Lou was still asleep. Hopefully sound asleep.

As he walked down the stairs he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He very softly told it to ‘shut up’, he was sure it was loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood. He was happy when he remembered to skip over the second to last step that always squeaked when he stepped on it.

Unfortunately he didn’t notice his red fire truck just below the bottom step and tripped over it. He fell with a loud bang into the closet doors that were located right in front of the stairs. He held his breath and stuck his ear out trying to hear if his Lou had woken up with all the noise he had just made.

Satisfied that his Lou must still be asleep he continued to make his way to the front door. He stopped when he heard noises coming from his stomach. He could grab something to eat. He was sure that there was a biscuit hidden somewhere in the kitchen.

Out of fear of making a bigger racket he decided to skip breakfast and just head to the swings. He could barely contain his glee!

Finally he reached the front door. The lock turned with a loud click even though Harry made sure to be as quiet as possible. After another quick check to make sure his Lou was still fast asleep he opened the door wide and stepped out into the patio.

Harry felt so proud of himself, he had made it out of the house and his Lou had no idea. He stepped out from under the patio roof and let out a breath of relief as the sunshine welcomed him.

The walk down the driveway was filled with so many possibilities. It was like Harry could do anything. He didn’t only have to just go to the swings. He could chase the ducks at the park and then go swimming in the lake.

When he got to the front gate he tried pushing the door open but it stayed completely shut. It was then that he remembered that he needed to put a code in the little pad and he didn’t know it. His Lou was the one who always opened the gate. He would have to learn it for next time.

There was no other choice but to jump over the gate to get to the other side. His Lou always said that he wasn’t supposed to do that because the door was there to walk through but his Lou wasn’t here. His Lou didn’t need to know.

He put his foot through one of the holes on the white crisscross gate and then lifted the rest of his body up. In another swift move he had successfully made it to the other side.

He did it. He was another step closer to soaring high like the birdies.

Now he had to really think. Did his Lou drive past the blue house (on the left) or the red house (on the right)? It was times like these that he wished he would pay attention to where he was going. He blamed his SpongeBob doll his Lou let him keep in the car. He was just so needy and always needed Harry’s fullest attention.

After a few seconds of thinking it over he decided that they definitely always past the blue house.

Harry confidently hummed a random tune that was in his head as he walked down the pavement. He took note that he was the only one outside just having the sun as company.

Eventually the neighbor’s big brown dog that looked like Scooby doo started walking next to Harry.

“Hello Mr. Doggie” Harry greeted petting the friendly dog behind its ears. The dog nudged his head on Harry’s waist appreciatively.

“Doggie okay today?” Harry asked patting the dog’s head.

“I ok too, I going to swing very high” Harry stated smiling even though the dog made no noise to acknowledge his statement.

“Too bad doggie no swing, just people” Harry said sympathetically. In his mind every living thing should get the chance to get on the swings.

Harry and the Scooby Doo wannabe walked contentedly until they reached the end of the sidewalk. Here is where Harry found himself another dilemma. He knew for a fact that he was only allowed to cross the street if he was holding someone’s hand. But he also knew that he had come too far to turn back now.

“I go Mr. Doggie, bye” Harry patted the dog and waved good bye. The dog sat on the curb watching as Harry crossed the street to the other pavement.

Harry continued his journey humming to the same tune as earlier. He could have sworn the sun was higher and even hotter now.  He was definitely sure that he was hungry now. All he could think about was food. Specifically his fruit loops. But his swings were more important at the moment.

He reached the end of what had to be the fifth pavement already, he had lost count somewhere between one and three.

 Now all the houses were gone. If he kept walking straight there would be a street full of restaurants and other random stores. On his left was a high way and on his right were more stores.

Harry decided he would cross the street and keep walking straight. Eventually he had to reach the swings right?

After what felt like a few hours Harry still hadn’t found the swings. He had crossed a couple streets and took some turns. He could have sworn he was going the right way but now he was getting scared. Nothing looked familiar. If only he had waited for his Lou to bring him he wouldn’t be lost.

He didn’t like getting lost.

He remembered that one time he got lost at the mall. He had been so scared but his Lou had found him so fast and then bought him ice cream.

But now his Lou didn’t even know he was gone.

It times like these he like to think “What would SpongeBob do?”

Harry knew that answer immediately. If SpongeBob got lost he would surely cry and that was exactly what Harry did too.

He found an empty bench outside of a store and sat down and cried.

What was he going to do?

“Boo Bear” Harry whispered to no one but hoped it reached his Lou’s ears.

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

_“It’s been a really, really messed up week, seven days of torture, seven days of bitter”_

“Ugh!” Louis grunted simultaneously snatching his guilty alarm clock off the night stand and chucking it across the room. He was utterly grateful that it fulfilled its daily duty of waking him up every day promptly at the time he set. He just wished that it would sense that he just wanted five more minutes of peaceful slumber and grant it to him with forgetfulness of its duties, for just one morning.

 

Just five more minutes of no responsibility would be great. Where he didn’t have to worry that every move he made could effectively ruin the life of someone else. If Harry had dessert before dinner did it really matter? A few years ago Louis would have ice cream for breakfast, no problem. He almost felt like a hypocrite at this point.  

 

He was just figuring out the world himself, yet here he was at twenty-five setting limits and attempting to explain life and all its intricacies to someone who he used run to for advice or a good laugh.

 

Louis never really gave his mum credit for what she went through, not only with him but also with his four little sisters. He couldn’t always handle having one other life to watch out for but the fact that his mum had looked out for five other lives all by herself gave him strength.

 

All those times that he had given his mum attitude because of some rule that was just so unfair suddenly made sense. Of course she knew what was best because she had already been there and done that.

 

When he first started caring for Harry he had endless talks with his mum. There were so much that he was unsure of. What if he screwed him up further?

 

His mum had assured him that he could do it. He just had to remember his childhood and just rearrange it to Harry’s situation. She told him that most of the time she didn’t know what she was doing either. She just went with her gut and hoped that everything worked out. That was somewhat reassuring.

 

“I guess it’s time to get up” Louis yawned while popping and stretching the night away. He kicked his warm black covers off of him and shook his head to clear the cobwebs away.

 

He slowly made his way to his bathroom to freshen up and get ready for the day. Luckily he had nothing important to do today since he was on leave from work so that he could take care of Harry while he recovered from his appendectomy.

 

There was no doubt in his mind that Harry was going stir crazy being stuck in the house all week. Maybe Louis was taking the doctors’ orders to ‘take it easy’ very seriously. He just wanted to be sure that Harry was 100% before letting him get back to his normal active self. Since Harry hadn’t been complaining of any pain recently a trip to the swings was definitely going to be a task for today.

 

Once Louis finished up in the bathroom and was dressed in his trusty sweats and hoodie he put on his cookie monster slippers that Harry (technically Zayn) had given him for his birthday last year and trudged on to Harry’s room.

“Hazza Bear it is time to rise and shine” Louis broadcasted as cheerily as his morning voice allowed. He stepped further into Harry’s room only to frown when he saw the red race car bed was void of its owner.

“Hazza?” Louis asked louder stepping towards the bathroom and looking inside pursing his lips when he saw Harry wasn’t in there. He walked out of the bedroom wondering where Harry could be.

“Harry, buddy where are you?” Louis asked loudly from the top of the stairs. He stuck his ear out waiting for a response.

Suddenly it hit him that it was way to quiet. If Harry was awake there would definitely not be any silence. The TV or the radio would have been blasting or Harry’s talking to his toys would be heard throughout the house. It was way too peaceful.

“Harry, answer me please!” Louis shouted getting a little panicky as he ran down the stairs.

He looked in the living room only to find that the remote to the TV still lay on top of the mantle where he had left it last night. The wicker toy chest that was kept in the living room was still firmly closed with no toys scattered around it like it usually was during Harry’s morning destruction.

Louis pulled the taupe drapes apart to search the back garden. Since the gate to the back patio was still locked he figured that Harry was not out back. But he opened the sliding door and shouted for him to show himself anyway.

Receiving no response he then headed towards the kitchen when his heart seemed to beat for the last time.

The front door was open slightly and he knew for a fact that he had locked it before he went to bed.

Louis slowly yet somehow also quickly ran out to the front garden. He was really hoping that he would find Harry playing with his jump rope or his basketball and that he would just have to reprimand him for going outside without telling him and then they could go back inside and everything would be fine.

It seemed that all the air in the world was sucked up when he saw that the lawn was absent of Harry’s presence. He walked out further from under the patio roof to scan ever corner of the lawn but the only thing there were bratty weeds.

Frozen in his spot on the driveway Louis pulled out his phone and dialed blindly. Tears were clouding his vision when the realization hit him that Harry was in fact gone.

“Hello” Liam answered cheerily, blissfully unaware of the situation.

“Li! Oh my God…Li...I...need you…Harry…I don’t know..” Louis cried into his phone having difficulty getting his thoughts in order.

“Louis relax, what is happening?” Liam asked trying to understand what the older lad was saying.

“Harry, he is gone, I went to go wake him up and he wasn’t in his room and the front door was open… he is gone Li” Louis swore as he turned and ran back into his house.

“Oh Damn, okay I will call the lads and we will look for him. Take a breath it will be fine, we will find him okay.” Liam responded immediately in his Daddy Direction tone. He hung up the phone before Louis even replied.

Louis calmed down enough to put on the shoes stowed by the door and grab his keys before running back outside to his car.

Harry’s SpongeBob doll caught his eye in the backseat and suddenly images of Harry wandering all around alone and scared or lying dead in a ditch somewhere sprang to his mind. He thought he was definitely losing it when all he could hear was a loud pounding in his ears. It wasn’t until he put his hand to his chest that he realized that it was his own heart trying to escape with each beat.

He shook his head in an attempt to rid the unwelcomed images and jumped into the driver seat of his Land Rover.

As the car lunged forward Louis pressed the button to open the gate. To the left of the gate door he saw a scuff mark on his newly painted white crisscross fence. He then knew that Harry had jumped over it like he had done a couple of times before even though Louis told him not to. That at least meant that he could cross off kidnap from the list of possibilities.

After contemplating it for a second he decided to head to the park where he took Harry to the swings. Harry had been asking to go all week so he figured that he might have headed there. He really, really hoped he was there.

The drive to the park was spent with Louis scanning both sides of the street for a tall mop of curls. He passed the red house that Harry always commented on, saying that Clifford the Big Red Dog had to live there. A little girl with the same blonde locks as the owner of Clifford lived there so Louis always said ‘keep a lookout, maybe we will see him’.

He was getting really anxious when he continued down the street and Harry was nowhere to be found.

There was a lady watering her plants and some kids playing in their front garden with their dog but no Harry.

In what seemed like seconds Louis reached the all too familiar park. He scanned the entrance quickly only seeing some kids playing with a Frisbee and others riding their bicycles. Louis had to punch the steering wheel to relieve some of the frustration he was feeling at not seeing Harry there happily playing alongside the other kids.

Louis jumped out of his car and practically ran to the playground area. Some kids that were not Harry were pushing themselves gleefully on the swings or sliding down the big blue slide. A part of him had really hoped that he would find Harry there pushing himself without a care in the world. But of course that would be too easy.

With exasperation he turned and searched the lake that was behind the playground. Unfortunately there were only ducks swimming and quacking at each other on the small lake.

For a split-second Louis thought that maybe Harry had actually made it to the park and went swimming but then got in too deep and drowned. He had to physically slap his cheek to shake that thought out of his mind to not completely lose it.

“Excuse me, have you seen a young male just a little taller than me with a lot of curly hair.” Louis asked an elderly lady on a bench nearby the lake.

“Sorry love, I have not” She replied politely and went back to reading her book.

Louis sighed and went back to the playground. He asked some of the children that were playing if they had seen anyone with Harry’s description. After receiving no’s from all the kids he figured he was wasting precious time and headed back to his car.

The park wasn’t very big so if Harry wasn’t at the playground then he probably wasn’t there. That only led Louis to believe that Harry was somewhere completely unfamiliar, scared and most likely injured and with no way to get help.

With urgency Louis never felt before he drove back towards his house. Not even when Harry was in the car accident or was having his appendectomy did Louis feel so helpless. At least those times Harry hadn’t been alone. Now he was probably all alone and more than likely petrified.

While passing his house he glanced over at the front garden just in case Harry had turned up and was patiently waiting on the front steps but of course the house was just as he left it. With no Hazza.

One his drive in the opposite direction he passed the blue house that always reminded Harry of Blues Clues. According to Harry he had once seen the guy from Blues Clue’s, which neither of them remembered the name of, watering the plants right outside that same blue house. He was certain that Blue was there too, chasing a squirrel. Louis had argued that dogs aren’t actually normally blue but Harry defended that if birds could be blue then why couldn’t dogs? Louis had to let him have that one because really why couldn’t there be blue dogs?

Louis continued driving around the neighborhood scanning every sidewalk and every front lawn. Every time a dog ran by he longed for Harry to be running after them. If some kids where playing catch he imagined Harry being the one waiting to receive the pitch. But of course Harry was not doing any of these things.

Before he knew it he was at a stop sign before entering a busy intersection. Louis prayed to every deity that he didn’t even believe in that Harry had not come this far. There were just speeding car after speeding car.

Louis was still working on teaching Harry the correct way to cross a street. He was still not getting it that he had to look both ways before he crossed so that he wouldn’t get hit by a car.

That’s why Louis had established the rule that he was not allowed to cross the street unless he was holding someone’s’ hand. He had a feeling that particular rule had been broken repeatedly. He just prayed that it was broken successfully and that Harry wasn’t injured in some hospital.

Louis figured that it would be easier to search for his Hazza on foot now since the streets got smaller as businesses bloomed on each side of the street.

He paralleled parked better than he ever had and began his search.

First he walked into Hedwig’s Toy Shop. It is Harry’s favorite toy shop in the area. It had all the toy cars and toy airplanes you could ever imagine. There were a few other people in the store but none remotely close to being Harry. He asked the owner, who always greeted Harry with a cheerful smile, if he had seen him that day. Unfortunately he had just opened the store so he had not, but promised to give Louis a call if he saw him.

With a knot twisting his stomach in every direction Louis headed further down the sidewalk scanning inside some shop windows where Harry would be easy to spot.

“Louis!!” He heard turning around almost crashing into Zayn.

“Anything?” Louis asked immediately not bothering with pleasantries.

“No, Liam is driving around and Niall is on the other side of the street looking for him” Zayn explained breathlessly.

“Oh my god Zayn, he could be anywhere, I don’t even know what time he left or where he could possibly have gone” Louis voice broke at not hearing good news. He shoulders sagged with disappointment and he passed a shaky hand down his face. He just wanted Harry back right now.

“Louis right now you need to calm down okay? Let’s just look” Zayn said holding him firmly by the shoulders and shaking him slightly.

“Right, Right” Louis nodded puffing out his cheeks and exhaling to help calm himself down.

Zayn searched the candle boutique that Harry liked to go into smell the cookie scented candle while Louis searched the pet store next door. Both boys came back with no luck. They headed further down going into other random shops but receiving the same ‘sorry we have not seen Harry but we will give you a call’ response.

Eventually they met up with Niall and began searching every alley and inside every dumpster. All three boys were actually happy that they hadn’t found Harry in any of those places. With any luck that meant that he was not hurt.

“Guys, what if we don’t find him? What if someone took him? Or he is lying dead somewhere? I can’t…” Louis cried falling to his knees in the middle of the sidewalk not caring that people were staring. He hoped that they would figure out what was happening and all join in to help them find his dear Hazza.

“Louis, you need to breathe mate. The day is still young no need to freak out just yet okay. We will find him and he will be just fine” Zayn attempted to comfort Louis falling to his knees in front of him and letting Louis rest his head on his bony shoulder.

“You don’t know that Z” Louis whispered pessimistically.

“I do know Louis and so do you” Zayn replied confidently even though he knew he was trying to convince them both.

“Lou, we just need to keep looking okay?” Niall said anxiously not liking the situation that they were in and wanting more than anything for Harry to be found already.

Louis was able to compose himself after another minute of Zayn and Niall reassuring him that they would find Harry. They searched for another hour before Liam caught up with them.

“Please tell me you know something or got some sort of clue Li, please” Louis pleaded when Liam came up to them from across the street.

“Sorry Lou nothing” Liam replied wretchedly. “Maybe we should call the police” Liam suggested as the four stood in front of Harry’s favorite ice cream parlor.

“You think we should?” Niall asked biting his bottom lip and putting a comforting arm around Louis shoulder, which was visibly shaking.

“They might be able to help, I mean I know that we can’t like report him missing or anything but since he has special needs maybe they can help us look” Liam explained wiping the sweat off his neck with the palm of his hand.

“Yea okay” Louis took out his phone and shakily dialed 999. Before he could press the call button his phone blared to life. The caller ID identified that it was Brittany calling. He was about to let it go to voicemail but his instincts told him to answer the phone call.

 _“Hello”_ Louis answered swiftly while the boys looked on questioningly.

 _“Hi Louis”_ Brittany replied.

 _“Sorry Brit, I can’t talk right now.”_ Louis stated passing a hand through his disheveled hair.

 _“Louis, I have Harry with me”_ Brittany notified quickly before Louis could hang up.

 _“What? How?”_ Louis asked confused as to why Brittany would have Harry seeing as she lived on the other side of town.

 _“I found him, I’ll explain at your house, he is freaking out, I am driving him home right now, should be there in like 10 minutes.”_ Brittany explained distractedly. Louis could hear sobbing in the background which tore at his heart strings.

 _“Um…Okay, thank you, see you soon.”_ Louis said hanging up the phone. All was right with the world. Harry was safe. He held his head in his hands at let tears of relief gush out completely forgetting that the boys were still surrounding him.

“Louis, what happened?” Liam asked worried that something had happened seeing the tears spring from Louis eyes.

“Brittany is driving him home” Louis breathed wiping at his cheeks.

“Thank God!” Liam exclaimed throwing his arms in the air and grabbing Zayn who was closest to him in a bear hug.

“It’s alright Louis, he is fine” Niall declared hugging a panting Louis and rubbing his back.

“Take a breath mate” Zayn commanded after noticing that Louis was still shaking.

“I was just so worried” Louis clarified once his breathing was slightly back to normal.

“It’s okay, he is fine, let’s get back to your house so we can give him a big cuddle” Liam said firmly grabbing Louis by the shoulder and smiling brightly.

“Yes, let’s go” Louis agreed breaking from their huddle and walking back to his car.

“Lou, I am going to come with you, Niall is with Liam, hand over your keys” Zayn instructed running after him as Liam and Niall walked the opposite direction to Liam’s car.

“I do know how to drive Z” Louis replied firmly holding onto his keys.

“Yes but you are shaking like a leaf so hand them over” Zayn ordered putting a firm hand on Louis wrist.

“Fine, Fine” Louis allowed once he noticed his hands were in fact shaking.

“He is okay Louis” Zayn assured as he buckled himself into the driver’s seat of Louis’ car. He looked over at Louis who had hid his head in his hands and started crying again.

“I know, I know I just can’t help it Z, if Brittany hadn’t found him…”Louis voice broke as he thought of all what ifs.

“Stop it, stop thinking like that” Zayn could feel tears coming to his own eyes. He did not want to think about what could have happened to him. So many unthinkable, evil things could have occurred. He praised his God that none of them had come to life.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry, I think Brittany and me have synced periods. Well you should know you and Perrie have years ago” Louis joked smiling slightly through the wetness on his face and passing his hand through his hair.

“I am not even going to deny that, it happens. I definitely cried during The Vow…I mean… don’t tell anyone that, I will murder you.” Zayn laughed wiping a tear that had escaped from his brown eyes.

“Aww Zaynie, my big bad boy teddy bear.” Louis ruffled Zayn’s quiff so it lay fully destroyed and forgotten on his forehead.

“You don’t know how scared I was when it hit me that he was gone.” Louis stated seriously once again.

“I would have been a wreck, you held it together okay” Zayn replied after a moment of silence.

“Held it together? You are kidding right? I was freaking out. All I could think about was everything that could have happened to him. All the things that he was going to miss.” Louis vented wiping away the remnants of tears with both his hands.

“He is not going anywhere” Zayn said firmly driving passed Harry’s Blue Clue’s house.

Louis looked out the passenger window instead of commenting. He needed to physically see Harry standing in front of him before he could believe that. He was a see it to believe it kind of guy.

By the time Zayn pulled up into Louis’ driveway Liam and Brittany’s cars were already there. They assumed that Liam had used his key and let them all inside the house. Louis found himself running into the house with Zayn breathing heavily to catch up.

At seeing his favorite mop of curls all the air began circulating properly once again. Louis could feel clean, liberating air fill his lungs once his eyes finally saw his Hazza.

Harry was crying on Liam’s lap saying that he wanted his Lou as he was being rocked. Brittany and Niall were sitting next to them whispering that his Lou was on his way.

“Harry, thank God” Louis exclaimed from the front door making Harry’s head shoot up.

Harry jumped off of Liam and ran to his Lou with so much force that they both fell to the ground. Harry didn’t even feel Zayn kiss his head and say ‘Glad you are okay Haz’

Louis rocked the crying boy as Harry straddled himself onto his lap still on the cold tiled floor. It took a moment before Louis was able to find his voice again.

“I am so glad you are okay love” Louis kissed the top of Harry’s head.

“Too many people” Harry whimpered “I scared” he added as tears gushed down wetting Lou’s shirt.

“I was so scared too baby, you are safe now” Louis reassured. Harry wrapped his arms around his Boo Bear’s chest tighter and cried into the crook of Louis’ neck.

Louis continued to rock him and whispered ‘that he was safe’ and that ‘Boo Bear was here’.

Louis had never been so relieved in his life. He didn’t want to let Harry go just in case it turned out to be all a dream when he did.

“You don’t have any ouchies do you love?” Louis inquired once Harry calmed down a little bit. Harry shook his head from the safety of his Boo Bear’s shoulder but Louis still scanned him quickly needing to make sure for himself. Besides being dirty and full of sweat Harry was in fact in one piece.

“Why did you leave without me?” Louis shifted on the floor and gently pushed Harry out of his neck to get a better look at him.

“I look for swings” harry whimpered chewing on his lower lip.

“Oh Haz, remember I told you that I was going to take you, you just had to wait.” Louis voiced wiping away some of Harry’s tears off his red cheeks.

“Too much wait” Harry pouted playing with the sleeve of Louis shirt and avoiding Louis’ eyes.

“You are in so much trouble Hazza” Louis said making Harry whine, he did not like it when his Lou was mad at him.

“I sorry Boo” Harry cried his face returning to its previous hiding spot.

“Look at me Hazza” Louis instructed tugging Harry’s head out of his neck so he could see him. Harry sat back on Louis lap and sucked on his thumb while eyeing Louis tearfully.

“You cannot leave this house by yourself or go outside by yourself; I don’t care what you want to do. You have to be with someone baby. You could have gotten really hurt. Do you understand me?” Louis reprimanded.

“I sorry Boo Bear” Harry cried after removing his thumb from his mouth momentarily.

“But do you understand me? Please don’t ever do that again. I was so worried Hazza” Louis stated passing his hand through Harry’s curly locks.

“Never” Harry assured and wet Louis’ cheek with a kiss.

 “You are so very grounded mister” Louis informed letting Harry revisit his neck.

“But I sorry, no grounded” Harry moaned shaking his head.

“And I forgive you, but what you did was really dangerous so yes you are grounded for a week.” Louis said firmly.

“But Boo Bear” Harry pouted moving from Louis neck and looking at his Lou in hopes that the best puppy eyes could get him out of punishment.

“Harry, you are grounded and that’s that” Louis said sternly. He briefly tried counting all the times he had heard his own mother tell him that. There were a lot.

“Okay” Harry sniffed rubbing his eyes and sitting back on Louis lap.

“Now, I want you to go upstairs to your room, take a shower and put your pjs on but not the SpongeBob ones, then come down here for lunch” Louis commanded wiping Harry’s tears with his hand.

Harry nodded sadly getting off of Louis’ lap and silently making his way up the stairs as he was instructed to do.

Louis stood up and joined the boys and Brittany who had been listening from the living room that was two steps away.

“Uh we are just going to go stay with him for a little bit before we head out” Liam informed standing up with Zayn and Niall and walking towards the stairs.

 “Thank you so much Britt” Louis acknowledged once it was just his beautiful blonde and him in the living room.

“Of course Lou” Brit replied moving over so the Louis could sit next to her on the couch.

“Where did you find him?” Louis asked not really wanting to know.

“I was out running like 5 blocks from my apartment and I saw him about to cross the street.” Brittany explained. “He…almost got hit by a car though”

“Oh my god. If you hadn’t…” Louis trailed off putting his head in hands.

Brittany didn’t know what to say she just rubbed his back and let the silence somehow bring comfort.

“I am so glad that I went jogging this morning” Brittany stated trying to break the silence.

“Me too” Louis smiled slightly lifting his head “I don’t even know how to repay you Britt, Harry is just my whole world”

“You don’t have to repay me Louis, I am just glad he is safe.” Brittany smiled moving her blonde hair from her shoulders.

“Still I should get you like a raise or I don’t know a puppy or something” Louis suggested smirking.

“I will only take a Lamborghini” Brittany joked slightly pushing Louis shoulder.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Louis held her hand and she rubbed small circles on his hand with her thumb.

Brittany was not very good at comforting people. She never knew what the right thing to say was. One time her best friend was crying at the scene in The Notebook when the lady forgets her husbands and all Brittany could come up with was “it’s okay that happens when you are old”. It’s safe to say that her friend was not comforted.

This situation hit home because she has a twin sister that almost drowned when she was three years old. She survived but was left with irreversible brain damage because she went without oxygen for so long.

“You know my twin sister I told you about?” Brittany asked breaking the silence.

“Yea, the one you think will love Harry because they both love SpongeBob” Louis stated remembering their conversation about Brittany’s twin. They sometimes shared stories of all the funny things they said. It was really good to have someone that could really understand what he was going through.

“Yup, that’s her” Brittany smiled. “My parents had a similar situation with her leaving the house by herself. One time she almost got into some strangers van after they offered her candy. Luckily I found her before that happened but it was really scary to think what could have happened if I had went to the right instead of the left.” Brittany shuddered remember that incident like if it was yesterday.

“How did your parents deal with that?” Louis asked eager to learn a few things.

“They did what you did. They grounded her, which was really good because she knew that if she left by herself again she would get in trouble.” Brittany replied “But she did do it a couple more times, even though she would still get grounded. I think she would get too excited to do whatever it was that she wanted and forgot that she would get in trouble.”

“I am pretty sure that’s what happened with Harry because he is usually good with not going anywhere alone.” Louis stated.

“My parents figured that too, but she kept leaving so they had to figure out how to keep her safe. They read some books but really it was trial and error because as you know every special needs person understands things differently”. Brittany explained grasping onto Louis’ hand.

“What did they do?” Louis questioned now rubbing circles on her hand.

“They set up an alarm system so she couldn’t leave without them knowing and incase that she did wander off they got her a bracelet with our address written on it and taught her who were the right people to ask for help to get back home.” Brittany explained.

“Did that help?” Louis asked.

“It did, she rarely leaves now, but when she does she always finds her way back.” Brittany said. “It also helps to have a little lesson on stranger danger”

“I don’t know if Harry is at that point yet, where he can learn all of that. He is still having trouble crossing the street.” Louis expressed concerned at how much of a problem this incident really was. It was an eye opener to all the dangers that could fall on Harry and his innocent mind.

“All you can do is teach him, and pray for the best.” Brittany suggested. “I think it really helps that you grounded him. He probably will remember not to do that again, I don’t think that he is as hyper-active as my sister is.”

“I really hope so, I can’t have another day like today. It was incredibly horrible” Louis declared shaking his head feeling exhausted from the day’s events

“I can imagine, good thing you have a good support system.” Brittany smiled compassionately.

“I definitely would have completely lost it hours ago if it were for the guys” Louis admitted sheepishly.

“You guys are all just so cute” Brittany cooed squeezing Louis’ cheek making Louis blush.

“Yes, we are the cutest” Louis smiled proudly.

“I should probably get going” Brittany said kissing Louis cheek and standing up. “I’ll see you around Lou, give Harry a kiss good bye for me.”

“I will, should I give him a hug too? Let’s practice” Louis smiled standing up and wrapping Brittany up in a hug.

“You silly fool” Brittany said returning the hug happily.

“You should call me later sweets” she winked once they separated.

“I definitely will babe” Louis smiled kissing her cheek. “Bye”

“Bye” Brittany said as the door closed.

“Is it safe to come down?” Niall asked hand covering his eyes, Liam and Zayn behind him doing the same.

“You guys are twats, nothing happened and Britt is gone” Louis said rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

“You can never be too sure” Niall smiled cheekily.

“We are going to head out, Harry is about to come down” Liam informed grabbing his keys.

“Alright, thanks guys for everything” Louis thanked, hugging each of them.

“It’s what we are here for” Zayn replied walking out with Liam and Niall.

Louis let out a breath as he closed the door behind them puffing out his cheeks. He was so full of anxiousness, relief and pure joy.

As he made Harry and him some lunch he started thinking about what he was going to do to keep this from happening in the future. He had never thought of getting an alarm system because of the gate that surrounded the house. He had thought that it was pretty high but clearly it was not. It would probably be smart to get one now.

He put the sandwiches he made and glasses of water on the table. He was just about to call Harry down when he saw his Hazza standing quietly under the dinning room doorway with his head resting on the wall, eyes downcast and thumb in his mouth.

Louis was very seriously thinking about retracting his punishment with one look at his gloomy stance. He had to tell himself that it was for the best so he wouldn’t cave.

“Harry, come here please” Louise said. “I got some lunch for us”

Harry sat down at his personally assigned chair and quietly started eating. Louis kissed him on the top of the head and sat down in the chair next to him eating as well. They ate in silence. Every once in a while Louis could feel Harry glance at him but when Louis looked up the other boy went back to eating.

Louis was not sure how is mum could successfully carry out punishments cause his heart was breaking. He was pretty sure it was worse than Harry being lost. Not really but pretty close anyway.

Sniffing and low whimpering brought Louis out of his thoughts.

“Oh Hazza bear, don’t cry love” Louis cooed pulling him up and off the chair. “Let’s cuddle in my bed”

Louis promptly led Harry upstairs laying down and bringing Harry down to lie on his chest.

“Ssh don’t cry Baby, it’s okay, you are okay” Louis cooed rubbing his back in strokes.

“Yo..u.. m..ad” Harry blubbered into Louis’ shirt.

“No sweetheart, I am not mad” Louis reassured lifting Harry’s head up so he could look into his eyes.

“But..I..groun..ded” Harry sobbed, tears and snot covering his face.

“Yes you are, but that is because you did something so dangerous and I need you to learn not to do it again. I am not mad you are still my Hazza Bear and I love you Always” Louis explained holding Harry tightly to his chest and letting him cry it all out.

“I love you Boo Bear” Harry hiccupped sucking on his thumb for extra comfort.

“Now we are going to take a little nap, you have had a very busy morning.” Louis wiped Harry’s face with a tissue and covered them both up with his comforter.

“And don’t get off the bed until I tell you too, Okay?” Louis instructed as Harry snuggled closer.

“Okay Boo Bear” Harry promised closing his eyes.

“Sweet Dreams Hazza Bear” Louis said kissing his forehead and closing his eyes as well. If he held Harry a little tighter than usual he could be held responsible, he was not going to let him disappear again.

 


	13. Chapter 13

“Zaynie, I hungry” Harry announced as soon as he was let into Zayn’s apartment.

“Let’s get you a little snack then.” Zayn granted locking the front door behind him and placing Harry’s SpongeBob backpack on a nearby chair.

“I have cookie please?” Harry requested, ducking slightly to emphasize his desires by hugging Zayn around the waist and gazing up with hope lacing his green eyes.

“Sorry Hazzy, you know you are still grounded buddy, you can’t have a cookie but I will get you something that is still yummy.” Zayn smiled sympathetically, kissing Harry’s forehead before gently untangling himself from those long arms before he caved. He was weak when it came to Harry’s puppy eyes.

Louis had a meeting with the lawyers today so Zayn offered to pick up Harry from school. All the boys knew that Zayn was a big softie, especially when it came to Harry, but he promised Louis that he would attempt to continue Harry’s punishment at his apartment.

The punishment had the usual guidelines; no TV, no sweets, basically no fun. For Harry that also included no SpongeBob, no swings and napping. He was also supposed to be ‘a shadow’ as Louis called it, which meant that he was supposed to be wherever Louis or one of the boys were at all times.

Zayn knew that Harry was being disciplined for a good reason but he didn’t know if he could actually continue with it. In his opinion Harry was just too much of a sweetie pie to be punished. He would rather shower him with cookies and many hours of SpongeBob, but he was going to attempt some sort of punishment. Maybe. Zayn wasn’t much of a disciplinarian, he knew if and when he and Perrie had kids they would have him wrapped around their little fingers much like Harry.

“But Zaynie please, one little one” Harry pleaded blocking the entrance into the kitchen with his best puppy eyes to date. He had wanted a cookie all week, but wasn’t allowed to have any. He figured that Zayn would be the most likely to let him have one.

“Harry, those sad little eyes aren’t working this time. I said no cookie okay” Zayn said firmly but gently, ruffling Harry’s hair before stepping around him. He was actually surprised that his voice sounded pretty strict if he did say so himself.  Although he was pretty sure that his face was, as the lads pointed out, “teddy bear” like.

“Okay” Harry’s shoulders sagged disappointedly really wanting that cookie. Zayn really tried with all he had not to give him all the cookies he had as he watched his Hazzy slump unhappily into the chair that Zayn had dragged to the kitchen.

“How was school Hazzy?” Zayn asked trying to improve the younger boy’s mood, who was quietly brooding at the denial of getting his hands on that cookie.

“Good” Harry replied softly, puffing out his cheeks.

“What did you learn today?" Zayn prodded trying to get Harry to talk. Usually Harry would be telling him a long story about what he learned in school or about something he saw on TV or anything completely random. He was always talking, which was great because Zayn liked to listen to his stories even though sometimes it was like putting a 5000 piece puzzle together.

“Um…” Harry tilted his head back, biting his upper lip seriously thinking about what he had learned in school. Cookie now forgotten. “Lots Zaynie”

“What was your favorite thing you learned then?” Zayn questioned glancing over at Harry while grabbing yogurt, blueberries and granola from the refrigerator. 

“Shadow” Harry answered, absentmindedly using a finger to twist a strand of his hair, which the boys realized meant that he was anxious or excited. Harry was always a fan of how shadows always seemed to mysteriously show up when he was playing outside. It’s like they were waiting special for him to come out and play.

“Shadows? You should be an expert on those by now” Zayn smirked, standing over him in search of a spoon.

“I my Lou shadow” Harry stated looking up at Zayn. “But today, I you shadow”

 “Yes you are sweetie pie” Zayn said poking Harry’s side, making him giggle.

 “I bet being Lou’s shadow has been fun” Zayn commented ruffling Harry’s hair still in search for that elusive spoon. He could have sworn that he knew where all the utensils were in his home but maybe he was wrong.

“No Fun Zaynie” Harry shook his head. His days had been spent practicing his handwriting and listening to his Lou make boring phone calls.

“No? Oh well I guess it hasn’t been since you are grounded and all” Zayn acknowledged.

“No more outside alone” Harry said remembering that’s why he had been bored all week.

“That’s right love; I wouldn’t want you getting in trouble again.” Zayn said finally fishing out a spoon hidden in the wrong drawer.

“My Lou say he scared when I outside alone” Harry noted as he watched his Zaynie mix some sort of goop in his favorite blue bowl.

“He was scared and so was I” Zayn informed glancing down at Harry and tapping his index finger on his nose.

“My Zaynie scared?” Harry gasped skeptically. Anytime he heard the monsters in his closet or under his bed, his Zaynie would come and scare them away. Sometimes when his Zaynie was at his own house, his Lou would call him and put him on speaker and the monsters would go running just with his voice.

 “But Zaynie never scared, you scare away monsters” Harry reminded incase his Zaynie forgot his powers.

“The monsters aren’t so scary but you all alone outside was so scary” Zayn replied glancing down.

“I so sorry Zaynie scared” Harry said after a moment, hugging Zayn fiercely around the thighs. Zayn couldn’t help the 'aww' that escaped his lips; he almost threw away the bowl of yogurt and got Harry ice cream to top with many cookies. Almost.

“I know you are sweets not to worry.” Zayn smiled and pat Harry’s curls. “I just hope you won’t do it again.”

“Never” Harry assured still bound to Zayn’s legs.

“I am glad to hear it” Zayn said. “Now tell me about these shadows”

“Mrs.Robi say sun make shadow” Harry recalled removing himself from Zayn’s legs and twirling a finger in his hair.

“Yea? What else did you learn about them? “Zayn asked.

“Um…I no remember Zaynie” Harry shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t really pay attention after that. He was more interested in the birdie he wasn’t supposed to be coloring because his teacher was talking and you aren’t supposed to be coloring when she is talking, but it was the best picture he had ever colored so he had to finish.

“That’s okay, you know we could probably make some shadows later” Zayn proposed.

“But how?” Harry asked curiously. Wasn’t the sun supposed to make the shadows?

“You will have to wait and see, now come sit at the table and eat your yogurt” Zayn instructed leading Harry to the table. He put the bowl of yogurt he had assembled in front of Harry and sat down next to him. He had to reply to some emails so he took the opportunity to do so using his trusty iPhone.

Harry didn’t really like yogurt and all those extra things that were swimming in his bowl, but he didn’t want Zaynie to be mad at him especially since he scared him.

 As he quietly swallowed the white goop, his mind wandered to the amazingness that are shadows. How were they going to make shadows? It was raining so there was no sun outside and Mrs.Robi said that the sun made shadows. Maybe Zaynie was going to use magic just like when he pulls the quarter from his ear. His Zaynie was all magical.

“Are you all done there Haz?” Zayn asked once he noticed that Harry was just playing the drums with bottom of his empty bowl.

 “All done” Harry replied, pushing away the special blue birdie bowl his Zaynie kept at his house.

“Good job Haz” Zayn praised kissing Harry’s forehead and putting his phone in his pocket before taking the bowl to the kitchen sink. He turned around quickly and almost knocked into Harry who was right behind him, not having forgotten he was supposed to be a shadow.

 “Sorry Haz, you were so quiet I didn’t see you there buddy” Zayn smiled ruffling Harry’s chocolate curls.

“It k” Harry said returning the smile and moving the fringe that landed haphazardly on his forehead.

“Now what should we do?” Zayn pondered out loud while walking into the living room. Harry followed not replying to Zayn’s question and just sat quietly next to Zayn on the couch. He was beyond bored being a shadow, but his Lou said that he had one more day left of his punishment and if he kept complaining his Lou would add more days. Harry could not have that, so he tried his best to follow directions.

“You are supposed to take a nap, after your nap then we can make shadows okay?” Zayn said pulling out his phone to set an alarm to wake them up in 30 minutes.

“Okay” Harry nodded smiling at the thought of making shadows. He would gladly take a nap if it meant he could make shadows with his Zaynie.

“Come here, you can nap right here” Zayn said leaning back towards the arm of the couch and opening his arms so that Harry’s chest lay on his chest. He put the couch blanket over them both and wrapped his arms tightly around the slender boy.

“Zaynie?” Harry asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

“Yes Hazzy?” Zayn asked opening his eyes and looked down, browns eyes meeting green.

“You sing?” Harry requested sweetly. Zayn could actually hear his heart melting at the request. He didn’t know if it was against Louis’ ‘no fun’ command but there was no way he was going to deny Harry a song and he knew the perfect song that would bring a bright smile to Harry’s lips.

“Of course sweetie, but you have to help me” Zayn said smiling down at Harry.

“No, you sing, I no sing” Harry shook his head. Zayn knew that Harry didn’t like singing in front of anyone but he thought it was worth a shot.

“You don’t have to sing, you just have to shout” Zayn explained tightening his arms around Harry’s back.

“But I no know” Harry noted, his eyebrows knitting.

“Oh I think you will know once the song starts” Zayn assured Harry who nodded and waited. Zayn cleared his throat and took a big exaggerated breath.

“Are you ready kids?!” Zayn asked cheerily making Harry gasp knowing exactly what song Zayn was about to sing. A song he hadn’t heard all week.

“Aye Aye Captain" Harry replied quietly through a massive grin.

“I Can't hear you! " Zayn hollered.

“AYE AYE CAPTAIN!" Harry screamed gleefully, lifting his head slightly off of Zayn’s chest.

“Ohh... Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?“ Zayn began to sing fully motivated by his beaming Hazzy.

"Spongebob squarepants" Harry shouted happily.

“Absorbant and yellow and porous is he” 

" Spongebob squarepants "

“If nautical nonsense be something you wish” 

" Spongebob squarepants "

“Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish” 

"Spongebob Squarepants" Harry’s face was turning red from how loud he was yelling and Zayn couldn’t help get more animated.

“READY?!” Zayn bellowed.

“Spongebob squarepants, Spongebob squarepants, Spongebob squarepants” Both boys shouted.

“Best song” Harry expressed giddy and breathless still wrapped on Zayn’s chest.

“I think we did a fabulous job” Zayn tangled his fingers into Harry’s hair just the way he knew helped him fall asleep.

“Great” Harry agreed nuzzling into Zayn’s neck.

“Now let’s take that nap, and remember you can’t get off the couch until I say its okay” Zayn reminded him wrapping him tighter and gently scratching at his scalp.  
  
“Sleepy Zaynie” Harry murmured closing his eyes as Zayn’s fingers instantly lulled him to sleep.

Before Zayn knew it he was being woken by a finger poking his cheek jaggedly and his name being called.

“Harry, don’t be so rough love” Zayn ordered finally opening his eyes and sitting up, settling Harry into his lap.

“Zaynie I go” Harry informed urgently holding on to the front of his pants and squirming.

“Oh you have to use the bathroom, go buddy” Zayn said quickly after a second of thinking what he wanted.

“Button” Harry pleaded looking up at Zayn anxiously.

“Right, now hurry and go” Zayn said unbuttoning Harry’s pants button and rushing Harry off his lap.

Just a few seconds later Harry came back into the living room with his head down and softly whimpering. Zayn quickly strolled over to him hearing Harry crying but not seeing any reason for tears.

“Hazzy what’s wrong love?” Zayn asked concerned and used his index finger to lift Harry’s head up to get a good look at him.

“No make it” Harry murmured tears coating his cheeks. It was then that Zayn’s nostrils were filled with the unmistakable scent of urine.

“Oh buddy, don’t cry, that’s okay, It was my fault for not waking up fast enough.” Zayn comforted while carefully hugging a tearful Harry. He felt so bad. He knew that Harry was so proud that he didn’t need help going to the bathroom or that he didn’t need to wear nappies anymore. The redness tinting his cheeks let him know just how embarrassed Harry was feeling.

“We will just take off your clothes and you can take a shower. I will lend you some of my clothes. Okay?  Not to worry my love” Zayn reassured stroking Harry’s back helping to calm him down.

“Okay” Harry sniffed.

“Now come on darling” Zayn said grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him back into the bathroom. Zayn instructed Harry to take off his clothes and put it in the plastic bag he got from under the sink. While Harry was in the shower Zayn retrieved the dirty clothes and took the opportunity to put the soiled clothes into the washer.

“Hazzy are you finished?” Zayn asked through the door after he heard the water shut off. He had some of his sweats, boxers and a t-shirt in hand and ready for Harry to take.

“All done” Harry replied as Zayn heard the shower curtain open.

“I am going to open the door to give you some clothes okay?” Zayn said before he opened the door slightly.

“Wait please” Harry pleaded urgently before the door could open completely. Harry was not as comfortable being exposed as he used to be, not that anyone was really complaining of that fact.

“Okay, tell me when you wrap the towel around you” Zayn ordered closing the door again and patiently waiting.

“Zaynie” Harry called a minute later letting Zayn know it was okay to come in.

“Here you go buddy, I will be just outside if you need help” Zayn said entering the bathroom and leaving the clothes on the bathroom sink.

“Remember to dry yourself really well, especially your hair.” Harry nodded as Zayn walked back out and closed the door.

Zayn sighed and sat on the bench that was to the left of the bathroom. It was moments like Harry not making it in time to the toilet that slightly saddened him. To think that Harry had been potty trained at the age of 20, when most guys were in university, was just a little hard for Zayn to wrap his head around sometimes.  Here Harry was at almost 23 having accidents, even though they are rare at this point.

Louis needed a lot of help when Harry first moved in with him. Zayn, Liam and Niall didn’t hesitate to move in with them and help out. The first few weeks they found themselves crying every time they woke up in the morning to realize that the boy they knew was truly gone. It was really hard watching Harry having to be bathed and fed. Especially since just a few weeks ago he had been extremely independent.

Little by little Harry, who the doctors said would probably never be able to function by himself, surprised everyone. He started walking again and then running. Pretty soon they had to start locking doors to keep his activeness safe and in check. Zayn remembers almost having a heart attack when Harry started talking; his first words being ‘Boo bear’. Zayn thought that he would never hear that deep, slow drawl ever again. It was a miraculous accomplishment.

It will always astonish Zayn how even though Harry’s mind could not remember how to do the things he did every day, it remembered those he loved the most. The boys were a few of the people that he knew immediately. Other people, like his own father had to be reintroduced.

The doctors told them that people with injuries similar to Harry’s usually woke up with a personality completely opposite to the one they had. So the guys were preparing for the worst. Harry once again proved the doctors wrong when he turned out to be probably sweeter than he ever was.

His mind was for sure the mind of a toddler but somehow he was still their Harry.

Now the doctors say that he has reached his full potential which is between 4 to 6 years old. But the mind is a very complex organ so they can only assume. Either way Harry is loved no matter how old. He will always have someone to sit through every episode of SpongeBob and kiss every boo boo.

“Zaynie I done” Harry announced breaking Zayn from his thoughts. He walked out of the bathroom clad in Zayn’s favorite blue Nike sweats and plain black tee. All previous embarrassment washed away.

“Great, now how about we go make some shadows” Zayn suggested putting a smile to his lips as he got up and put his arm around Harry’s shoulders.

“But how Zaynie, no sun?” Harry asked biting the corner of his lips inquisitively.

“We don’t need the sun, I will show you” Zayn replied grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him to his music room. 

“I am going to turn off the lights, but don’t be scared I will be right here.” Zayn informed before it went completely dark thanks to the room being windowless. Zayn smirk as Harry held on tightly to his hand but didn’t say anything knowing Harry wasn’t a fan of the dark. Zayn grabbed a flashlight that was randomly sitting on the piano bench and went to the middle of the room where there was a bare space of wall.

“Now let’s sit down on the floor.” Zayn instructed sitting cross-legged on the tan carpet.

“Zaynie I scared” Harry whispered from next to him still holding his hand securely.

“Let’s get some light in here then” Zayn said turning on the flashlight, glad when Harry visibly relaxed at the ball of light that was on the wall.

“I sit on Zaynie?” Harry requested.

“Sure bud” Zayn allowed opening his legs so that Harry could sit in between them. Zayn held Harry around his stomach and put his head on Harry’s shoulder so he could see what he was doing.

“Where Shadow?” Harry asked only seeing the ball of light illuminated on the wall.

“Right, now we make shadows, you hold on to the flashlight and keep it on the wall.” Zayn instructed giving Harry the flashlight and showing Harry how to hold it. Then Zayn put his hands in position and tried to make different animals.

“There birdie” Harry gasped when he saw the bird like shadow on the wall. He twirled a finger in his hair tugging at it like he did when he was excited.

“Good, what is this?” Zayn asked changing his fingers’ position.

“Horsey!” Harry exclaimed, it was actually a dingo but Zayn was not about to get technical.

“What about this?” Zayn questioned as his hands changed again.

“Bunny!” Harry squealed; he loved rabbits. “I do, I do!”

Zayn laughed at Harry’s joy. He grabbed the flashlight from Harry and put it down on the floor so that there was still light and then he helped Harry get his hands into the right position. He shone the light onto Harry’s hands loving the noise of Harry’s delight.

“I do it!” Harry bellowed. “Bunny”

“Yes you did love, now make it jump” Zayn praised moving Harry’s hand up and down so the shadow would make movement.

“So fun Zaynie” Harry said happily dropping his hands and moving his head up to kiss Zayn’s chin leaving it wet with appreciation.

“I am so glad you like it Hazzy” Zayn smiled down at him.

“I like being you shadow” Harry gushed making Zayn’s heart swell.

“You do?” Zayn squealed. “I love you being my shadow Hazzy”

Harry crushed into Zayn’s chest burrowing his head into Zayn’s comforting neck. Zayn embraced him tightly and rocking him gently mentally thanking God again that he spared his friends life.

 


	14. Chapter 14

_“I don’t want to tell you not to worry; at this point anything can happen. It’s all up to the judge now. I am going to do everything I can to turn things around for you, but maybe you should prepare yourself….”_

Louis kept replaying the troublesome conversation he had just partaken with, Rosa his lawyer. He slowly and tearfully made his way to Zayn’s apartment wiping his face trying to look like he hadn’t been crying for the past four hours. He really thought that after Rosa met with Harry, the lads and with everyone else that interacted with Harry that things would go smoothly. He really believed Liam when he tried reassuring him that “anyone can see Harry belongs here, with you”. After this meeting he wasn’t so sure anyone could really see that.

 “I am sorry I am late” Louis acknowledged when Zayn opened the door. He winced when he glanced at his watch and saw that it was two hours after he said he would pick up Harry. That is what happens when you receive upsetting news and drive around aimlessly for hours.

“Don’t worry about it mate.” Zayn assured. “But what’s wrong, you seem upset?” He asked noticing Louis’ tear stained cheeks and red eyes. Worry was beginning to settling into the pit of his stomach. Louis only cried when he was extremely sad or really scared. Seeing as he had just come from a meeting with the Lawyers Zayn could only imagine that he had not received good news.

“Where is Harry?” Louis asked gazing over to the empty couch.

“He is in the music room” Zayn replied pointing his thumb behind him. That seemed to be all Louis needed before he allowed fresh tears to flood his cheeks. He put his head in his hands and let the sobs take over. Zayn quickly brought Louis into his tanned arms and let his friend cry on his shoulder, looking behind to make sure the music room door remained shut.

“Louis, what is it? You are giving me a heart attack over here” Zayn urged after Louis’ sobs turned to soft whimpers.

“I am sorry, I am sorry” Louis breathed after a minute, finally able to clear the cobwebs within his brain that seemed to conceal the area where all the happiness dwelled. He wiped his cheeks and pulled away from Zayn’s bony yet comforting shoulder, feeling somewhat embarrassed to have broken down like that.

“It’s fine, but what happened?” Zayn asked grabbing Louis wrist and leading him to the couch.

“The meeting with the lawyer did not really go so well.” Louis admitted, his tear ducts refilling slightly.

“Why not Lou?” Zayn asked carefully slinging his arm over Louis shoulders and rubbing his arm tenderly.

“Basically she told me that it was up to the judge now and that I should probably prepare myself.” Louis pinched his nose blocking his tear ducts in an attempt for some form of self-control.

“I thought things were going good though” Zayn stated feeling the worry in his stomach expand slowly.

“Yea so did I” Louis said. “She loved Harry, said that he seemed like he was happy and very well taken care of. All of you guys checked out too. Something about you guys being good influences or whatever. Harry’s doctor said that he was very healthy and never had to treat him for neglect or anything. She even liked that Brittany was in my life because she has a sister with special needs”

“That all sounds good Lou” Zayn guaranteed biting the inside of cheek.

“It was, but Harold and Sally informed Des’ lawyers that Harry needed surgery and that I didn’t show up at the hospital until he was in recovery because I was irresponsible.” Louis explained wiping a hand down his face.

“But that is not what happened!” Zayn shrieked replacing the worry with anger. He could not understand why Harold and Sally were acting so rotten. They had been with them when Harry had asked if his daddy was still alive. Sally had been the one to tell him that his dad lived in America. Later, when Harry asked if Des was going to visit him Harold was the one that informed him that “Des, just works a lot but one day he will”. That conversation happened almost two years ago and he never asked about him again.

“I know Zee and I told Rosa what happened, which she said was understandable. But the fact that Sally and Harold reported it first apparently makes me look like I am just making up stories.” Louis puffed out his cheeks to calm himself.

“Will it help if we verify your story?” Zayn questioned.

“It couldn’t hurt I guess” Louis shrugged. “But that’s not even the biggest issue. You know that freaking janitor from Harry’s school; you know the one that called him stupid?” Louis asked.

“Yea” Zayn responded remembering when Harry came home sad because of that old bully that Zayn wanted to personally pound into the ground.

“Well when they went to Haz’s school to get proof that I was a good care taker or whatever, the janitor told Rosa that he saw Harry by himself just when he was crossing the street and about to get hit by a car. And because I didn’t say anything about it, it’s another huge strike against me.” Louis explained, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Oh man, that is not good” Zayn agreed sighing while rubbing Louis’ back.

“I am scared Zee” Louis admitted exhaling roughly and glancing at Zayn before going back to examining his jean covered knees.

“They will not take him away” Zayn said adamantly firmly squeezing Louis shoulder.

“You don’t know that!” Louis snapped.

“Louis, you have been taking care of him for 3 years, his dad physically saw him twice and skyped once in those 3 years. Harry is walking, talking, mischievous, learning, his is the sweetest kid ever and that is all because of you, especially the mischievous part.” Zayn soothed ignoring Louis raised voice, knowing that he wasn’t mad at him just frustrated.

“I am pretty sure Niall had a lot more to do with that than me” Louis murmured with a small smile playing on his lips.

“The point is that, who knows where Harry would be if his dad had been the one taking care of him, he wouldn’t know the difference between his leg and his elbow. You belong with Harry and Harry belongs with you and the judge will see that too.” Zayn reasoned seriously, holding Louis to his chest.

“Thank you Zayn. I really hope so, I don’t know what I would do if I lost him” Louis sighed resting his head on Zayn’s shoulder.

“You are not going to have to find out.” Zayn said promised kissing the top of his feathery head.

“Just so you know Liam, Niall and you have a lot to do with where Harry is too. I couldn’t have done it without you all.” Louis smiled looking up at Zayn.

“Believe me I know” Zayn laughed tousling Louis’ hair.

“Hey!” Louis said exclaimed punching the tanned boy’s shoulder softly. “Anyways, how was he today?”

“A perfect angel, he took that shadow thing super seriously; I had to promise him that he wouldn’t get in trouble if he stayed reading while I came to open the door.” Zayn said amused.

“Aww he is so cute” Louis cooed “where you able to actually keep up with the punishment?”

“Of course, he had no sweets, took a nap, did school stuff, had dinner and now is reading, no fun as instructed” Zayn described, intentionally leaving out how they played with shadows and sang the SpongeBob song, Louis didn’t need to know that.

“Well good, I am surprised, I know you can’t resist him” Louis chuckled.

“Oh please, if you can be a hard ass, so can I” Zayn scoffed.

“Sure Zayn, sure” Louis smiled patting the tanned boys cheek to which Zayn reciprocated by sticking out his tongue with extreme maturity.

“Oh he did have a little accident, totally my fault though. He tried waking me up but you know me, I took too long and he couldn’t leave the couch without permission so...I lent him some clothes, it’s all good” Zayn informed.

“Oh poor thing” Louis stated. He knew how much Harry hated not making it to the toilet. “Go get him will ya”

“I here” Harry announced, suddenly behind them making both boys jump. Zayn may have released a very girlish yelp from the scare that Louis will never let him live down.

“Oh snaps! You scared me Hazza” Louis noted putting a hand to his chest.

“You are such a sneaky little booger” Zayn said comically wiggling his index finger at Harry, who was using a finger to twirl a curl on the nape of his neck.

“Booger” Harry repeated laughing and walking around the couch “Silly Zaynie”

“Come here love” Louis opened his arms for Harry to sit on his lap.

“Miss you boo bear” Harry acknowledged from Louis lap leaning his head back onto Louis shoulder.

“I missed my Hazza bear too” Louis replied kissing his nose and making Harry giggle.

“Harry, tell Louis how you helped make dinner” Zayn suggested leaning over and moving a few curls away from his face.

“I stir” Harry stated popping his finger from his cheeks.

“What did you stir?” Louis prodded wrapping his arms around Harry’s stomach.

“’aroni” Harry replied.

“Macaroni? Did you guys have macaroni and cheese?” Louis asked.

“’aroni and cheese” Harry nodded.

“And he did such a great job stirring” Zayn praised playfully poking Harry in his stomach. Harry beamed and poked Zayn in his cheek before resuming his game of counting Louis’ fingers.

“Good job Hazza” Louis complimented kissing his cheek, making Harry blush. “What else did you do?”

“I make shadow bunny” Harry replied happily causing Zayn to slap himself on the face.

“You made a shadow bunny? That sounds like fun” Louis said glaring at Zayn with an “I thought you said there was no fun” look.

“So fun” Harry stated softly pinching random spots on Louis’ hands.

“He learned about shadows in school, so technically it was school work, be cool” Zayn justified with hands in the air to which Louis just shook his head.

“And what else did you do?” Louis questioned.  

“Zaynie sing SpongeBob” Harry answered now twisting the hair on his boo bear’s forearm.

“You are killing me here Hazza!” Zayn exclaimed covering his face with two hands.

“So much for being a hard ass” Louis whispered across to Zayn rolling his eyes.

“Whatever, I mean how you can expect me to punish this sweetie pie is beyond me” Zayn expressed pulling Harry from Louis’s lap and into the space between them tickling his Hazzy mercilessly until he was red in the face.

“Zaynie no tickles” Harry cackled while trying to squirm away.

“This is what happens when you throw me under the bus” Zayn said not relenting on his attack.

“No bus” Harry promised breathlessly.

“Alright leave him alone he can’t breathe you big hard ass teddy bear” Louis smirked watching amused from next to them.

“Alright I guess you need to breathe” Zayn surrendered and let Harry sit up and catch his breath. “I think you guys should sleep over”

“What about Perrie?” Louis asked curiously.

“She is visiting her parents this week, so I am all alone” Zayn pouted.

“Aww poor Zayn, I don’t know though, it will most likely be fun here and someone is still grounded until tomorrow” Louis said mulling it over. Harry looked on quietly between both Zayn and Louis really hoping that Louis let them sleep over so they could all make shadows.

“Oh come on Lou, tomorrow is just a few hours away.” Zayn reasoned.

“Please Boo Bear” Harry begged with his adorable puppy-dog eyes.

“Yes please Boo Bear” Zayn imitated putting his head next to Harry’s and putting on his own puppy-dog eyes.

“Alright, alright how can I say no with all those eyes on me” Louis laughed giving in.

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed hugging Zayn in victory. “Can we make shadow?”

“Well that is the only way you are go to show me this shadow bunny innit?” Louis held out his hand for Harry to grab and let Zayn lead the way to the music room or the shadow room as Harry had renamed it and will now forever be known. Making shadows is always a good way to end the night.


	15. Chapter 15

 

“Hazzy, want me to draw a picture for you to color?” Zayn asked. He nudged Harry’s converse clad foot with his boot in an attempt to get some sort of response. He was sharing the couch with Niall while Louis and Liam sat on the carpeted floor with their backs to the wall. Harry was facing the wall in between them, lying on his stomach mindlessly pushing a dump truck above his head. Louis was armed with a badass police car and Liam had a cherry red fire truck.

“No” Harry sighed from his spot.

For the past 20 minutes they had been ineffectively attempting to get the green eyed boy to play with them. It seemed that they were doing it all wrong because Harry didn’t bother to interact with their obnoxiously loud sirens.

The guys decided to spend the day at Louis and Harry’s house to celebrate the fact that Harry was free from his weeklong punishment. However, what was supposed to be a fun, active day turned out to be a day spent trying to cheer Harry up.

Since they had arrived early in the morning Harry had been uncharacteristically subdued. It was now the mid-afternoon and no one, not even Liam, had been able to find out what was causing Harry’s quiet mood. They had tried everything from tickles to ice cream bribes to get him to smile but nothing seemed to be working.

 “It’s a nice day out, how about we head to the swings?” Liam suggested as he playfully crashed the fire fighter truck in his hand into the dump truck Harry was rolling.

“No” Harry turned his truck in the opposite direction not at all amused by Liam’s antics.

“How about I send this police car to kitchen to fetch some of those cookies you love?” Louis asked, making ‘vroom’ ‘vroom’ noises and winding up the police car in the direction of the kitchen.

“No” Harry mumbled, dumping air from the back of his truck.

“How about you say something other than ‘no’, I know you know other words” Louis huffed in frustration. He gave up with the police car and sighed crossing his arms over his chest.

“No” Harry replied causing Louis to dramatically facepalm.

“I know Haz, how about we watch SpongeBob?” Niall proposed, remembering that he had seen a SpongeBob marathon happening on some station. He flipped through the TV trying to find the channel that was home to the yellow talking sponge.

 “No SpongeBob” Harry stated stopping Niall from continuing his search. He was certain that was going to work. The boys looked at each other and shrugged not sure of what else to do.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Louis asked for the tenth time while rubbing small circles on Harry’s back. He was at a complete lost. Usually when Harry was sad it would take maybe an hour for him to reveal why. It had almost been a whole day now a Harry was still upset about something.

“I go to room” Harry announced with a pout. His shoulders sagged as he left the boys in silence not bothering to answer Louis’ question.

“Okay, he said no to SpongeBob, hell must have frozen over” Zayn noted seriously as he watched Harry solemnly drag himself upstairs.

“I don’t know what happened, I am just going to give him a second to himself” Louis sighed joining Zayn and Niall on the couch. He figured Harry would just come to him when he was ready.

“Was he like this before we got here?” Liam questioned absentmindedly moving the fire truck he had bonded with over his jean clad legs.

“Yea, he was fine when I went to wake him up, I don’t know what happened in-between him changing and coming down for breakfast.” Louis explained. His eyebrows knitted trying to remember if he had missed some important fact that would have caused Harry to become so upset.

“Maybe it’s just one of those days” Niall mused.

“Ni, it’s Harry, he doesn’t have “one of those days”. If he is quiet it’s for a reason” Louis assured.

“I know I was just…” Niall started to justify before he suddenly tilted his head up and stared intently at the carpet.

“Okay what is happening? Are you having a stroke?” Zayn questioned waving a hand in Niall’s face.

“Shush, do you guys hear that?” Niall asked putting his hand up to stop Zayn’s hand from continuing the annoying flapping motion.

“What?” Zayn tilted his head to somehow listen better.

“It sounds like crying” Liam recognized after a second.

“I hear it too” Louis concurred, standing up quickly and heading up the stairs with the rest of the boys hot on his heels.

They found Harry kneeling at his crafts table in his room. He was sobbing into his forearm completely unaware of the intrusion.

“Baby, why are you crying?” Louis rushed to him gently lifting his head and turned his chair so he was facing him. Instead of replying Harry jumping into Louis arms and let himself be wrapped up.

“It’s okay Hazza Bear, it’s okay” Louis cooed rocking him slightly from side to side. He slowly stood up with Harry attached to his side and sat on Harry’s trusty race car bed. It didn’t bother Louis that his shirt was pretty soaked at this point he just let Harry cry into the crook of his neck.  Liam took the empty spot on Harry’s other side and rubbed his Cupcakes’ back in soft random streaks while whispering to him that “it’s all okay”.  Niall and Zayn kneeled in front of Harry at a loss of what was making Harry this distraught but they knew he needed them so they stayed and waited for his sobs to quiet down.

“What’s wrong buddy?” Zayn asked gently squeezing Harry’s knee when only sniffles could be heard.

“Sad” Harry expressed as he calmed down. He lifted his head from Louis’ neck and rested it on his shoulder. He kept his eyes downcast but he boys could still see the redness left behind.

“Why are you sad babes?” Louis inquired, rubbing up and down Harry’s arm.

“There” Harry sniffed pointing his index finger towards his room window.

“What is there love?” Louis asked not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The bookshelf was where it was supposed to be. Nothing was spilled. The curtains where pulled back slightly letting the sun peek into the room. Everything looked absolutely normal. Liam went over to take a look and shrugged at Louis not seeing anything alarming either.

“Birdie” Harry hiccupped wiping his tear-stained cheeks.

“A birdie? Did a birdie scare you” Louis assumed knowing how easily Harry could get spooked.  He lost count of all the times he had to assure Harry that the squirrel in the back garden was just looking for some nuts for nourishment and not wanting to gobble up his eyes.

“NO!” Harry yelled.  “Birdie sing” He explained scandalized, as if his faithful friend could ever scare him. He wiped at his disheveled curls and walked to where Liam was still cluelessly standing.

“Okay and what is the problem Hazza?” Louis asked joining Harry and Liam at the window still not understanding what was making Harry upset.

“Birdie, bye bye” Harry revealed urgently as fresh tears sprang to life. He opened the window and leaned over the ledge, pointing below the tree that was right by his window. Louis and Liam got on either side of him and leaned down to look at what Harry was pointing at.  At the base of the tree lay a little blue jay completely motionless. It looked like its nest had cushioned the fall but for whatever reason the bird had met death along with its unborn baby that was still next to momma in it’s cracked, white egg shaped home.

 The boys all looked at each other with mirrored awed expressions. Their sweet Harry had spent the better part of the day upset over the death of a bird they didn’t even know he had formed an attachment too.

Harry sunk down by the window and let out more quiet tears.

“Oh baby, I am so sorry” Louis said scooping Harry into his arms.

“I got an idea” Liam whispered to Louis motioning for Zayn and Niall to follow him, leading them out of Harry’s room.

“It’s all right Hazza Bear” Louis soothed as he rocked Harry, tucking him under his chin.

“Boo bear, why birdie bye bye?” Harry asked looking up at Louis with forlorn eyes.

“I think that Jesus needed more birdies up in heaven to teach the angels how to sing” Louis replied not sure how he could really explain death to him.

“But no more sing to me” Harry said nuzzling into Louis’ neck.

“Did you like it when the birdie sang?” Louis asked tightening his arms around Harry’s shoulders.

“Love birdie song” Harry replied further breaking Louis heart. He remembered when he was little and his favorite dog got ran over, nothing could really console him. Eventually he got over it. Louis felt even worse that he didn’t even know about Harry’s little friend. It was so cute that he enjoyed the birds singing. Usually people hated that, it just showed how amazing Harry still was.

“I’m sure the birdie loved to sing to you baby” was the only thing Louis could come up with at the moment. Harry hugged him tighter his tears slowing.

 “Birdie go to sky?” Harry wondered peering over Louis’ shoulder to look at the wonders that is the sky.

“Yes baby the birdie will go to the sky and sing to everyone up there.” Louis replied knowing that Harry was asking if the bird would go to heaven. Anyone or anything that could make Harry smile would definitely be getting into heaven.

“Birdie sing for big sissy and mommy?” Harry pondered looking back up at Louis. Louis breath caught in his throat at the innocence of the question. And if a tear found its way down his own cheek, could anyone really blame him?

“Of course baby, the birdie will sing to your big sissy and your mommy” Louis replied, his voice breaking just as Liam peeked into the room.

“Hey guys, can you come downstairs for a second?” Liam asked from the doorway frowning when he saw Louis was crying.

“Uh sure thing Li” Louis said quickly wiping his tear.

Harry wordlessly followed both boys downstairs and to the corner of the back garden where Niall and Zayn were standing. Niall had a shovel in his hand and had dug up a hole. Zayn was holding a shoe box and had picked some roses from Louis rose bush. Louis immediately knew what they had done and was really grateful to them even if he would kill Zayn for using his prized roses.

“Welcome to the funeral of dear…” Niall addressed. “Haz what is the birdie’s name?”

“She Robin” Harry replied. The boys glanced at each other; the fact that Harry’s step dad was named Robin was not lost on them. They had mentioned him only once after Harry’s accident so they couldn’t be sure that Harry had named the bird after him or if he had just heard the name and liked it.

“Okay…Welcome to the funeral of dear Robin” Niall said after composing himself.

“What funeral mean?” Harry asked staring at the hole next to the roses that his Lou always told him not to touch.

“It’s a ceremony people do to say good bye to someone before they go to the sky” Louis replied holding Harry to his side.

“Birdie in there?” Harry asked pointing to the box in Zayn’s hand.

“Yes, the birdie is in here and then we are going to bury him and then he or she will go to the sky” Zayn explained the best he could to make Harry understand.

 “I see birdie” Harry stated stretching his hand out for the box. Zayn hesitated at first not sure if he should see the bird, which had been attacked by some sort of animal. After both Liam and Louis nodded in reassurance he handed the box over.

Harry held the box in his hand and kneeled in front of the hole Niall had made. The boys watched him not sure of what was going on in his head. Harry lifted the lid of the box first peeking inside and then taking it off completely and putting it on the ground by his feet.

He took the hand not holding the box and passed a finger over the lifeless body of his little faithful companion remembering all the songs it had sung to him. A tear escaped onto his cheek but he didn’t seem too bothered by it. He started to softly hum a song the boys imagined is what Harry had heard come from the bird.

The boys looked on in awe at how tender Harry was, not squeamish at all to be holding a departed animal. When he started to hum to the bird Zayn didn’t even bother to pretend he was a “bad boy” and let a tear glisten his tanned skin.

“Bye bye friend, thank you for song, sing to big sissy and mommy please, love you” Harry bid farewell to the bird before bringing the box closer to his face and leaning down and kissing the bird’s head. If the boys weren’t crying before they for sure were crying now.

“That was very sweet cupcake; do you want to put her in the hole now?” Liam asked wiping away some of his own fallen tears. 

“Okay” Harry said putting the lid on the box and gently placing the box into the hole.

“Now we are each going to put a rose around the box” Zayn instructed not caring that his voice broke as more salty liquid fell down his cheeks. He handed a rose to each boy careful to warn Harry not poke himself on the thorns.

“You go first Harry” Louis instructed nudging Harry. Harry bent over and placed his rose on top of the box. Each boy followed suit laying their rose around the box.

“I am going to fill the hole up now Haz.” Niall informed as he started putting dirt into the hole.

Harry was still kneeling on the ground his lips set in a pout. It had just hit him that he was never going to see his little friend again. He suddenly turned and buried his face into Louis knees and wrapped his arms tightly around Louis legs.  

“Come on buddy let’s go inside” Louis said only for Harry to shake his head and sob for his favorite birdie.

Louis had to forcefully pry Harry’s arms from his legs and picked him up from under his arms. Harry immediately wrapped his legs around Louis’ waist and shoved his head into Louis’ neck. With Liam’s help Louis was able to get Harry inside the house.

By the time Niall and Zayn had returned from refilling the hole Harry was quietly sucking his thumb on Louis lap with his head laying on his shoulder. Niall and Zayn smashed into the same couch that Liam, Louis and Harry sat feeling it was a time to be close. Louis was passing his fingers through Harry’s head of curls and Liam held his other hand rubbing circles with his thumb.

“Love you” Harry said squeezing Liam’s hand and turning over to extend his arm touching both Niall and Zayn.

“We love you too Hazza” all the boys replied, doing their best to create a group hug around Harry.

“I think, this calls for a movie night. Yea?” Louis suggested. The boys replied with various forms of ‘yes’ and ‘sounds good’. Harry sniffed and ducked his head under Louis’ chin.

“What do you think Haz?” Liam asked. To which Harry just shrugged as he wrapped his long arms around Louis torso in an attempt to become one with his boo bear.

“Haz, why don’t you pick the movie?” Niall suggested wanting to cheer him up. He got up and searched for some appropriate options for Harry to choose from. Skipping over some of the more gory horror movies, he decided between Happy Feet and RIO.

“So what will it be?” Niall asked turning around from the DVD bookshelf and holding up the two movies for Harry to choose from.

“Maybe not a bird movie Niall” Liam whispered quickly taking RIO out of Niall’s hands before Harry could get upset again.

“Birdie movie?” Harry asked curiously lifting his head from Louis chest.

“Yea, RIO, have you seen that one?” Niall asked smugly taking the movie back from Liam and very maturely sticking his tongue out at him.

“No” Harry shook his head. He gasped when he saw the smiley blue bird on the cover. “Blue birdie”

“That is a blue birdie Hazza, how cool” Louis stated amused. “I forgot that I bought that”

“Of course you forgot, because I bought it and from the way it’s still in the original wrapper I can tell that you guys have thoroughly enjoyed it. Punk” Zayn muttered making sure to flick Louis ear lobe with a painful amount of force.

“Ow! don’t cry Zayn, I was saving it for a special moment, I did not put it away and completely forget about it” Louis expressed rubbing his earlobe for comfort.

“Yea whatever twat” Zayn huffed not actually upset but willing to play it up which is why he threw a couple of pillows at Louis, who didn’t have enough time to protect himself so was hit roughly in the face. Even Liam joined in solely because there were a few unused pillows beside him.

“NiNi, she Robin” Harry noted passing a hand over the bird glossing the cover. He didn’t seem to even notice the mini pillow fight going on around him. “She sing?”

“Do you want to see it and find out?” Niall questioned. 

“Okay” Harry nodded rubbing his eyes and seeming to take the remaining sadness with it.

“Awesome! Guys chill out! Let’s all take notice of this momentous occasion.” Niall ordered loudly. The pillows dropped to the ground after hitting their intended targets.

“What momentous occasion?” Liam asked.

“The fact that I choose right and that you were all like “Maybe not a bird movie” in all your wrongness. Everyone is always like “Liam knows everything blah blah” but I too know about things and stuff” Niall said proudly popping the movie into the pointlessly expensive DVD player.

“Wow Niall didn’t know you could be so eloquent.” Liam smirked throwing a pillow at Niall’s head.

“Whatever, point is I am awesome and Liam is not” Niall replied using the same pillow to rest his head on as he got comfy on the floor.

“My LiLi cool” Harry stated wiggling in-between Louis and Liam and laying his head on Liam’s shoulder.

“Ha! Haz is the coolest so he would know, us cool lads stick together” Liam smiled and high fived with Harry, who had the bright smile the guys had been trying to get all morning.

“I am hurt” Niall said outraged.

“I think you are slightly cool if that helps at all” Zayn smirked.

“I think you suck” Louis laughed and threw a pillow so Niall knew just how much. “I am going to get some popcorn.”

“You are also going to order some pizza” Niall yelled from his spot on the floor. “I have never been so insulted in my life and deserve a cheesy treat, order four and whatever you guys want.”

“Good god” Louis shook his head and took out his phone knowing full well you never deny food to Niall unless you planned on death.

Just as he finished the order and put the popcorn in the microwave, the doorbell rang. It then rang a second time even though Louis had shouted for someone to answer the door just moments ago.

“Please no one get up, wouldn’t want anyone to hurt themselves” Louis rolled his eyes making the trek to the front door.

“Hello Louis” He didn’t mean for the groan that escaped his lips to be so exaggeratedly annoyed but that is just the way life is.

“Sally, Harold” Louis nodded curtly at Harry’s grandparents. Maybe he was a little bitter at all their contribution in trying to get Harry to be taken away from him.

“Aren’t you going to let us in?” Sally asked crossing her arms over her small chest.

“Depends, did you come to try to find more reasons why I suddenly suck?” Louis asked smiling stiffly.

“Let’s not be childish now Lou” Harold replied in a voice that long ago would have intimidated him. He had become increasingly aware that Harold was softer than feathers, even if he did put up a very convincing act.

“I am just extremely surprised to see you here” Louis said not opening the door any further in hopes that they would somehow disappear. What he would give to be Harry Potter right now. Expecto Patronum anyone?

“We did tell you that we would be visiting Harry soon” Sally replied.

“I just thought you would call first, like responsible adults” Louis noted he hoped it came off rude, that’s what he was going for. “We just started a movie anyway; maybe you could come another day”

“We just drove for an hour, it would be rude for you to turn us away don’t you think, did your mother teach you no manners” Harold said.

“Please, do come in” Louis rolled his eyes after a few seconds and opened the door to allow them unsolicited entrance into his home.

“By the way, you would think that since Harry got away from you just the other day you would lock your gate” Harold stated in that tone of voice that made Louis want to slap him, with a chair, made of bricks.

“Well there are four people here watching him so not that big of a deal and I always lock it at night” Louis grumbled as he followed them into the living room.

“Hello boys” Harold greeted completely ignoring Louis statement. “How is my favorite grandson?” The boys gave various shocked and offhanded hellos. Harry said hello but was more interested in what the funny little colorful birds were saying.

“Well aren’t we going to get a hug little man?” Sally asked with her hand on her hips clearly not appreciating his lack of enthusiasm.

“Harry, don’t you want to give your grandparents a hug they came a long way just to see you” Louis found himself saying after Harry continued to watch the movie. He really wanted to kick them out of his house after all the trouble they have cause him but for Harry he decided to be civil. Sensing that Harry was too preoccupied with the movie he put it on pause for a second.

“Boo Bear!” Harry whined annoyed that he couldn’t find out what the funny orange bird was just going to say.

“Sweetie, your grandparents are here, don’t you want to give them a hug? ”Louis asked gently moving Harry’s face so he could see Sally and Harold.

“Gammy! Pop-pop! Hi!” Harry exclaimed once he realized that his grandparents were standing in the living room. He rushed off the couch and hugged them each.

“That’s more like it” Sally said giving her grandson a kiss on the cheek.

“We will just be in the other room and let you guys catch up” Liam said standing awkwardly with the rest of the guys. Harold and Sally took the now empty spots around Harry and waited to be left alone.

“Boo Bear stay” Harry requested grabbing Louis’s hand before he could get off the arm of the couch where he had been perched.

“We actually just want to talk to you love, we haven’t seen you in so long, I am sure Louis can find something else to do.” Sally said sweetly to Harry.

“No Boo Bear stay” Harry repeated slightly more urgently pulling on Louis’ arm. He always got nervous with people that he didn’t see a lot even though he did love his grandparents.

“Hey, Buddy you are fine, I will just be right in the other room okay. Why don’t you tell your grandparents on everything you have been up to?” Louis said leaning down and kissing Harry’s head. That was all it took for Harry to calm down and hold his Gammy’s hand.

“So now tell us love how is my favorite guy doing?” Harold asked.

“I okay” Harry said tilting his head onto his shoulder.

“I am so glad to hear that love” Sally smiled, pinching his cheeks. “Are you eating enough? You are just so skinny”

“I eat” Harry nodded.

“Louis needs to start feeding you a lot more to get some meat on those bones” Harold said softly pinching Harry’s arm.

“My Lou make yummy food” Harry defended.

“I am sure he does” Sally said. “How is school?”

“Good” Harry shrugged not caring much about school. No matter how hard he wished, it would still be there on Monday.

“Well good, how is your counting?” Harold asked always hoping for there to be a miracle and Harry to be at a normal level and be able to count to a trillion.

For some reason being able to count meant that Harry was getting better. Harold still had hope that his grandson had just a really bad case of amnesia and would regain his old perfectly working mind. It frustrated him so much to see his darling grandbaby struggle with the simplest of tasks.

“Good” Harry replied excited that he could show off his mad counting skills.

“Up to what number can you count to?” Harold questioned curious.

“20” Harry replied rather proudly.

“Is that all?” Harold asked in disbelief. “You should be counting to way bigger numbers.” Harry didn’t understand. His Lou said that he was doing fantastic but his grandfather didn’t seem so impressed.

“My Lou say 20 good” Harry tried to explain that 20 was in fact very impressive and should be applauded. He felt sad that he hadn’t been praised and really wanted to find his Lou to make sure that 20 was actually praise worthy.

“That is very, very good sweetie, we are so proud of you” Sally reassured while glaring at her husband.  She put her arm around her pouting grandbaby’s shoulder and tucked him in snugly under her chin. Harry still wanted to find his Lou but his Gammy smelled like vanilla and his nose begged him to stay because vanilla is equivalent to Christmas and sunshine. Christmas and sunshine trump numbers.

“That’s all really? It’s been three years and that’s all. What is that boy doing? He should not still be having trouble with these things.” Harold whispered to his wife. He truly believed that Des could get Harry into a facility that would make his mind be one of a 22 year old.

“Relax Harold, Harry just needs time and maybe when all this is over he will be in a place that will get him where he needs to be.” Sally said gently not wanting to discuss this in front of Harry.

“This all just needs to be over already, its seems clear to me that he is not ever going to get better in this house, Louis is just a stupid kid” Harold stated forgetting that Harry was still in the room and did in fact have functioning ears.

“Pop-Pop mean” Harry said the only thing registering that his Lou was stupid when he obviously was the smartest person on the planet, except for Liam. Liam knew everything. “I go see my Lou” He said moving away from the vanilla and back to a reality where Christmas was still months away and the sun always played hide and go seek.

“Now sweetie pie, don’t be upset, sometimes people say things that they don’t really mean, right Harold” Sally frowned at her husband while holding Harry down so he wouldn’t leave.

“Of course Harry, I am sorry buddy” Harold apologized not really meaning it but not wanting Harry upset with him.

“Okay” Harry replied mostly because his Lou taught him to forgive when people said they were sorry.  His Lou was always right. He was the smartest person, after Liam, after all.

 “So tell us, what was the movie you were watching about?” Sally asked hoping to lighten the atmosphere in the room.

“Blue Birdie lost” Harry replied his mind immediately returning to the adventures of the little blue birdie.

“Well that’s sad” Sally stated kissing his temple and glancing at her husband who seemed to decide that since he had nothing nice to say he would say nothing at all.

“It ok, she sing Gammie” Harry assured smiling broadly.

“Do you like that?” Sally asked returning his bright smile.

“Yes, just like Robin” Harry nodded. He glanced outside where he could see where the earth had been dug up and held his beloved fowl friend. He mentally hummed the birdie’s song in remembrance of his last song to him.

“Robin? Who is Robin?” Harold asked perking up at the name not sure if Harry was talking about his step-father.

“She Birdie Pop-pop” Harry said. “She in sky “

“I didn’t know that you had a pet bird” Sally said not remembering ever seeing a bird on the few occasions that she came to visit.

“She no pet, she live outside” Harry corrected now wishing that Robin did live in his room so that she could have sung to him at night too when the monsters came to bother him. Monsters are afraid of birds because they can’t sing you see. “She sing to me”

“I am sorry she went bye bye love” Sally cooed bringing Harry tighter to her chest.

“It k, I say bye in funeral” Harry said. “She there Gammy but now in sky” Harry pointed towards the bed of roses where the small dirt hill was undisturbed.

“You guys had a funeral?” Harold asked skeptically to which Harry nodded. “For a bird?”

“She sing to big sissy and mommy” Harry noted.

“Oh lord, you are just so precious. I am sure she is love” Sally said.

“Harry, I don’t really-“ Harold coughed a few times to rid the pain after his wife kindly yet roughly punched him in the chest.

“Yes she is Harold” Sally said firmly. She didn’t know why her husband of forty-five years was being a complete, in the words of many kids these days, twat. However, she did know that she would not allow Harry to be hurt by anyone’s statements just because of twatiness.  

“This is ridiculous, Lou should spend more time teaching him things and less time playing with dead birds.” Harold said quietly and swiftly moved away from his wife’s pesky hand that was alarmingly close to his face.

Harry began to tell them every detail that he could remember about the impromptu funeral the boys had sprung up. At that moment right after Harry slowly but thoroughly described what the bird looked like without life, Sally really took a good look at her youngest grandson.

He still had that smooth, milky skin just as the day he was born. She had been so upset when he began to fill random spots of his skin with poorly chosen but apparently “artistic” figured ink. Now though it wasn’t littered with any tattoos. It was Louis who realized that Harry may get confused as to why his skin was marked with all those random figures and had gotten them all removed. She remembers Des saying that it was a waste of money because he had a lot of tattoos; he didn’t really seem to care about Harry’s state of mind.

She then noted how brightly Harry’s eyes sparkled as he spoke. His eyes had always sparkled even in the dark. But there was a time right after the accident where the green of his irises were replaced by cloudiness, as if they had never been drenched in the warmth of the sun. When he first woke up and saw his dad the clouds seemed to grow with rage. But then Louis walked into the room and even though Harry didn’t know his name he must have known that he was his sunshine because they have been bright ever since.

It was then that the synapses in Sally’s brain finally came together. Anne would have personally smacked her for being so foolish. She had really believed Des when he said that Louis was just an immature kid. He was clearly more than they gave him credit it for.

Yes it was true he was very young but she firmly believed that Harry would not have had a funeral for his favorite bird if he had been in Des’ care. He most likely would have told Harry to buck up or some nonsense. Maybe it was time that they stopped praying for the return of their old grandson and just accept the one they have now. Just like Louis has. A mistake had been made and Sally would make sure that everyone fought to correct it.

 “Baby, I think we are going to head out.” Sally said bringing Harry to her chest. “It was so lovely to see you.”

“Louis” Harold called out towards the room the boys had disappeared to.

“Leaving so soon” Louis mumbled noticing Harold and Sally standing when he came out from the room the boys were hiding in.

“It’s a long drive, we better get going.” Sally replied smiling softly.

“Bye Gammy, Bye Pop-pop” Harry said giving them each a hug and a kiss before flopping back on the couch next to Liam and Zayn. “Blue birdie boo bear”

“Right, right” Louis said pressing play on the DVD player and turning back to Sally and Harold who were still standing by the couch. “Let me walk you guys out then.”

“Louis” Harold paused at the door. “You may not see it now, but he will be better off with Des.”

The urge to punch someone had never been so strong before but since Harry was still in the room Louis decided to act civil and just opened the door wider urging them to leave his house before his body took over.

“Thanks for visiting” Louis mumbled not meaning it at all.

“Harold, I just need a minute to talk to Louis about recipes for a minute, I’ll meet you out by the car” Sally said waiting until her husband walked out of the house before turning back to Louis.

“I know how-“ Louis stopped thoroughly confused as Sally hugged him tightly.

“I am sorry Lou, you have done such a great job” Sally said releasing her hold on him.

“Um…Thanks” Louis replied with knitted eyebrows. He was expecting her to say something awful not hug him.

“I mean it; I have never seen him so happy and healthy. I was too quick to believe Des. Maybe I just really wanted my grandson back, I don’t know. But I do know that I love that boy in there with everything I have and I am certain he would not be the same if it wasn’t for you. So I am sorry for being a total twat. That’s what you kids say right?” Sally apologized genuinely. Louis stared at her in disbelief trying to register everything she just said especially that part about being a “twat”. After a second thought he threw himself (gently) on her and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you so much, that really means a lot.” Louis voice broke just slightly.

“Don’t worry about Harold I will open his eyes and we will try to turn things around for you. I’ll talk to you soon love.” Sally assured before giving Louis one last hug and kiss on the cheek.

Louis was feeling very emotional as he made his way back to the living room to join the guys. It really did mean a lot that Sally was on his side. He needed everyone on his side because if they took his Hazza away what would be the point of living.

“Everything cool?” Niall asked from his spot on the floor when he saw Louis standing by the couch with tears pooling at his eyes.

“It’s perfect” Louis replied with a genuine smile, some tears did eventually spill over. He placed the almost forgotten popcorn on the coffee table and sat next to Harry. He watched him fully engrossed in the film and prayed that they would never have to part ways.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update. I am currently working at a summer camp and it takes a lot of my time. On the plus side it's a summer camp for kids with special needs so I have gotten more inspiration.=D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I personally love it=D. I will probably keep it going for a few more chapters. Thanks so much for reading. Love you!


	16. Chapter 16

_“I’m gonna pick up the pieces, and build a Lego House, If things go wrong we can knock it down…”_ Louis sang softly to himself as he added product after product to his hair to achieve the right size quiff. Apparently they never go out of style, which worked well because Louis really didn’t have the time nor desire to figure out a whole new hairstyle. He wasn’t exactly sure why he needed coconut wax or avocado clay but Zayn assured him that they were the tools needed in order to get the right effect. You just don’t question Zayn, the king of quiffs, you just smile, put crap on your hands and style, style, style until you at least reach mediocre results.

 

Tonight was supposed to be a special night, filled with catching up with friends, lots of kisses and other cute things that Louis was not particularly in the mood for. After much convincing and promises from Niall and Zayn to destroy his soul if he declined, he grudgingly had agreed to go on a ‘triple’ date with Liam and Danielle, Nick Grimshaw and the new boy of the week, and of course Brittany.

 

Apparently he needed to let Harry breathe in something else then “Louis’ orbit” as Niall had put it. If he was being honest, he really didn’t think he spent that much time with Harry in the past two weeks. So what if he had taken two weeks off from work? People go on vacation all the time. Was it really a big deal that instead of soaking up the sun on a tropical island he built forts with Harry in the middle of the living room? No. Louis didn’t see what the big fuss was. So he stayed all day with Harry at school as he learned how the world goes round and colored the best pictures to ever be colored in the history of colored pictures. He was just a committed and loving care giver.

 

Okay maybe he understood the guy’s frustration a little since he hadn’t let Harry go on his usually play dates with the them. Anytime they wanted to see Harry he would have come over to the house and play with both of them. Harry didn’t seem to mind at all; except that one time he had begged Louis to “please go away" because he needed some quality time with his stuffed animals and they didn’t want to play with Louis there, speaking in all the wrong voices.

 

Fine, he had basically lost his mind and become a needy parent. But with the custody hearing looming over his head he wanted to inhale as much Harry as he possibly could. Not that anyone could ever make him forget his innocent, loving Hazza bear anytime soon.

 

If it wasn't for Liam's threat to kidnap Harry if he didn't let Zayn and Niall babysit and go on this "amazing" triple date he wouldn't even have vegetable, fruity crap on his head or had the need to shower. Harry doesn't care about hygiene. Bless him. Right now he would be in his sweats with a bowl full of popcorn in-between him and Harry, and a Disney movie getting ready to play, most likely Aladdin because Harry promises that the more you watch it, the more awesome it becomes.

 

Louis was having an internal struggle with leaving for a few hours because as much as he didn’t want to spend any time away from Harry he was looking forward to seeing Brittany. He hadn't really heard from her since he took time off of work, minus the random texts that she would send. Of course those texts soon stopped, he was positive because he would only reply with one word. He wasn't trying to be distant; he just couldn't text and spend time with Harry at the same time. Especially since one of Harry's favorite pastimes is "let's throw Boo Bear’s phone from the highest place we can find and see how long it takes before it breaks into a billion pieces" maybe he is on his fifth phone in the last 6 months.

 

He really hoped that it wasn't awkward tonight and that there was no drama. Actually he hoped she even showed up, seeing as he wasn't even the one who invited her. Liam had called her up after making sure Louis was aware that he fully intended to carry out his threat to kidnap Harry and fill him with sugar for three days before giving him back. He had no choice really.

 

Satisfied that the messy quiff he had created was just what he had been going for Louis closed the multiple organic bottles and began the process of washing the gunk off his fingers. He dried off his hands and turned around to step back out into his room when all of a sudden he had two milky white arms bound around his torso and a head full of unruly curls cocooned into his neck.

 

“Hi Buddy” Louis greeted trying to keep his balance not expecting to suddenly have a whole lot Harry on him.

 

“Hi” Harry replied sounding very unhappy.

 

“You okay Hazza?” Louis stroked Harry’s back.

 

“Why my Boo Bear leave me?” Harry muttered.

 

“I am not leaving you love, I am just going out to dinner with LiLi and some friends. I will be back before you know it. Promise” Louis assured.

 

“But when back?” Harry questioned.

 

“I am not sure babes, but don’t worry you are going to have so much fun with Zaynie, NiNi and Safaa, you won’t even notice I am gone” Louis vowed pulling Harry from his neck to smile reassuringly at him.

 

“Fafa come?” Harry’s eyes brighten briefly forgetting that his boo bear was going to be leaving shortly. He remembered having lots of fun with his Zaynie’s sister when she came to visit a few months back.

 

“Yea babe she is” Louis cooed at the fact that he remembered her. Although after the two days it took to clean up after she left Louis figured Harry wouldn’t be forgetting her anytime soon.

 

“We play?” Harry asked very seriously. Obviously the most important information of the night.

 

“I am pretty sure she is going to play with you Haz, no worries” Louis smiled. “Now did you pick up your room, like I asked you too?”

 

“I pick up toys Boo Bear” Harry promised and stuck his head back into Louis neck partly because it smelled like some fruit and Harry needed to further investigate which one it was.

 

“Good Job Hazza” Louis praised. Somehow he was able to maneuver both of them towards his closet even with Harry all Koala like. He still needed to figure out what shoes to wear tonight. Not that he was necessarily too concerned, it was more so Zayn wouldn’t give him another long and unwanted fashion lecture.

 

“My LiLi and Boo Bear stay and play” Harry pleaded in that same voice that made Louis want to drop everything and go find rainbows and leprechaun gold with him all day and all night long.

 

“Baby tonight you get to play with Safaa, Zaynie and NiNi. Tomorrow we can play promise” Louis said untangling himself from Harry’s hold and searching his closet floor for suitable shoes.

 

“What shoes match Hazza?” Louis asked wanted to distract him if only for a little while. Harry looked at Louis options and bit his bottom lip looking like he was on the verge of tears. Shoes meant his Boo Bear was really going to be leaving him. Despite knowing that upsetting fact, he choose the gray toms that surprisingly did in fact match with Louis light blue button down and black skinny’s.

 

“Have dinner with me” Harry requested, voice full of honey.

 

“Hazza, I promise you are going to have so much fun tonight. NiNi said he was going to bring a pizza, you love pizza” Louis tried to get Harry excited, which he didn’t normally have to do when it was one of the guys coming over.

 

“Pizza?” Harry followed Louis to the kitchen pondering on the amazingness that was pizza.

 

“Yup, with cheese and everything” Louis enthused while making some tea to hopefully calm the storm. Because tea cures all, of course.

 

“You eat pizza” Harry stated hugging onto Louis from behind and reviving his earlier investigation to see which fruit was scented on Louis’ neck.

 

“Um…Let’s have some tea” Louis said deciding it would be best not to comment. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Zayn and Niall letting them know that there would most likely be tears tonight and also one to Liam to warn him not to get out of the car when he came to pick him up.

 

Somehow Louis was able to make tea with Harry’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Not that he was complaining. He liked a challenge. They were in the middle of Harry guessing which fruit he was smelling on Louis’ neck when the doorbell chimed, bringing their game to a halt.

 

“I get” Harry perked up, quickly transforming from Koala to Meerkat in 0.2 seconds. He loved to answer the door especially when it sang. He claimed that is sounded like a bird. What kind of bird sounded like a loud annoying shrill, Louis wasn’t sure.

 

“Ask who it is first Harry” Louis reminded him. He stood behind Harry but tried not to crowd him so he felt like he was completely in charge of the whole door opening process.

 

“Who outside?!” Harry asked probably louder than was humanly necessary. Louis knew he hadn't heard a reply but Harry opened the door anyway.

 

“Hi” Harry greeted a very amused Niall, who as promised was holding two pizza boxes.

 

“Hi Haz” Niall said leaning up a little to kiss his cheek. “I got to say you have the best way to investigate who is at the door”

 

"It's loud and an effective way to go deaf" Zayn smirked rubbing his ear to get the ringing to stop. "Hi Haz"

 

"Where Fafa?" Harry asked completely ignoring Zayn’s greeting. He was trying to peer over Zayn’s shoulder in search of his little friend.

 

"I will tell you, if I can get a proper hug first" Zayn promised blocking Harry from further inspection and opening his arms.

 

"Okay" Harry agreed. He rushed into Zayn’s arms and not less than a second later was stepping back expectantly.

 

"Jeez, that was horrible" Zayn muttered yet moved to the side, revealing his rosy cheek, bright eyed 10 year old sister. "Here she is, the main attraction of the night"

 

"Zee, I am not like an elephant at the circus" Safaa rolled her eyes at her big brother’s introduction.

 

“You would be a cute elephant” Zayn cooed pinching his sister’s cheek and stepping out of the way to avoid getting hit.

 

"Hi Harry" Safaa greeted brightly turning her attention to her favorite guy on the earth. Yes, even above her own brother.

 

"Hi Fafa" Harry beamed. He hugged her with a mile wide smile and a bounce to his heels. Zayn may have been clutching his chest, claiming "my heart can't take it", as he joined Niall and Louis in the kitchen.

 

"We play Fafa?” Harry asked. He loved playing with the guys but he found that Safaa just got him. She knew the right voices to use when they played with his animals and she told the best jokes. She was like the rush of getting away with sneaking a cookie before dinner. And not just any cookie, a chocolate chip cookie with the m&m’s.

 

"That is what I came for, to play with you silly” Safaa replied playfully poking Harry’s stomach. She had been looking forward to play with Harry all week. The adventures they will have could not even be described in words.

 

“Play in room” Harry stated. “With my Lou”

 

“Yea okay” Safaa let herself be pulled to the kitchen, already knowing that Harry was feeling particularly clingy to Louis tonight according to her brother.

 

"Boo Bear play" Harry ordered imprisoning Louis’ hand in his own, instantaneously suspending the friendly banter in the kitchen.

 

"Babes, go ahead and play with Safaa, me and you will play tomorrow" Louis promised calmly prying his hand from Harry’s iron grip.

 

"No you play today and morrow" Harry argued recapturing Louis hand. Louis sighed and looked at Niall and Zayn, his eye’s pleaded for them to come up with some way to safely help him disengage from Harry's focus.

 

"Hey, I'll play with you guys, come on" Niall came to the rescue quickly replacing Louis’ hand with his own.

 

"Please Boo Bear!" Harry begged before he could be taken from the kitchen. His voice broke, complete with a pout and liquid pooling at his eyes. Louis swore one look at that particular pout could end wars.

 

"No, no don’t cry Hazza" Louis implored stepping to him. "How about we color, coloring is always fun"

Louis was mentally kicking himself. Of course Harry was going to be clingy and have a heart attack when he left. He had taken him out of his routine which he made sure included different people to prevent this same reaction.

 

"Alright what are we coloring?" Louis asked as Harry and Safaa settle on either side of him at the coffee table in the living room.

 

“Color SpongeBob” Harry replied taking out his SpongeBob coloring book and crayons from their basket under the table. Harry ripped off some pages from his book, handing them out and keeping one for himself.

 

“Alright so I think I am going to color SpongeBob blue, that’s the color he is right?” Louis asked Harry looking over the sheet Harry gave him. He was tapping a blue crayon to his cheek thinking seriously about the right color for Harry’s trusty SpongeBob.

 

“No Boo Bear, SpongeBob ‘lellow” Harry informed in all seriousness. No one messed with SpongeBob.

 

“Are you sure? I am pretty sure he is blue” Louis nodded. Safaa played up Louis confusion saying that she also thought SpongeBob was blue.

 

“Nu, uh SpongeBob no blue Boo Bear, see?” Harry said showing Louis the cover of his coloring book to prove that SpongeBob was in fact Yellow.

 

“Oh! Okay, okay "'lellow" it is" Louis chuckled, hands in the air.

 

"What are you coloring Safaa?" Louis asked. He turned to her laughing as soon as he saw the sheet she had received.

 

"Um, I think it used to be Patrick" Safaa replied holding up the crumpled coloring sheet Harry had 'carefully' handed to her. He was not the neatest at tearing along the dotted line, but that was tricky for anyone really.

 

"It Patrick" Harry concurred.

 

"Alright great, we all have something to color then" Louis stated. "Let's see who can color the fastest and also the neatest. Ready, set go!”

 

Zayn came in to the sitting room and gestured that Liam was outside already. Louis looked to the curls on his right and the jet black hair on his left. He was very glad that they were taking the game very seriously. Safaa was carefully choosing which colors to fill in the background of the picture and Harry was biting his lip in concentration as he searched for the perfect color for Sandy the squirrel. Louis took that opportunity to slowly slip out, surprisingly unnoticed and let Zayn take his place at the coffee table. Before slipping out the front door he mouthed “sorry” and “good luck” to Niall, who was warming up the pizza in the oven.

 

Louis knew that he shouldn’t feel guilty and that he would just be gone for a few hours but he couldn’t help it when his heart strings began to unravel.

 

++++

 

“He basically told me to very kindly bugger off” Louis laughed. He had spent a better part of the evening sharing various loving anecdotes from his sacred Harry vault. Whenever someone was on the verge of sharing their own story, Louis would suddenly remember something Harry said or did that needed to be told without delay. Brittany was genuinely enjoying each new tale. She loved to see how much Louis cared for Harry. She didn’t know too many men who would rearrange their whole lives to basically become a parent to their best mate. After the fifteenth adorable, time ceasing story the rest of the table was secretly praying for a way to shut the door to the vault and throw away the key. At this point Nick was seriously considering stabbing the forks of his table setting into his ears just to pass the time.

 

 “He is too cute” Brittany cooed. Danielle and Liam shared a soft smile, remembering how every story was so fascinating in the beginning. To their left, Nick was rethinking all of his life’s decisions, simultaneously trying to figure out a way to make up this horribly dull night to his current love on his right.

 

“Yea, friggin precious” Nick muttered with a very obvious roll of the eyes.

 

“I can see why I haven’t heard much from you in the past two weeks” Brittany smiled. Louis winced slightly filing with guilt. He had been disgustingly distant lately and even though he didn’t want to use Harry as an excuse, he was the only thing on his mind these days. Luckily for Louis patience and understanding was engraved into Brittany’s DNA while in her mother’s womb.

 

“Sorry about that, it’s hard to get away sometimes” Louis apologized. He put his arm on the back of her chair and smiled when she laid her head on his shoulder.

 

“Don’t worry love, I get it Harry is cooler than me” Brittany joked. “Maybe sometime we can all hang out, I’ll even bring my sister”

 

“Um, yea that would be nice” Louis replied softly. His lips suddenly got really dry knowing that play date most likely would never come. He quietly sipped on the coke in front of him wishing he had added some rum to it. Brittany mentally slapped herself when she remembered the custody hearing in three days. Louis was probably thinking about ways to keep Harry and not silly play dates.

 

The table slowly fell into a somewhat awkward silence. Fortunately the waiter arrived rather quickly with their orders replacing the void of conversation with food. A smile was slowly forming on Louis lips as he analyzed his plate containing a good size lobster and roasted potatoes. He was remembering a particularly hilarious story involving a trip to the beach, a pesky little lobster, and an adventurous Harry.

 

“Lou, please tell me that damn smile on your face is because you are incredibly satisfied with your meal and not that you are about to reveal another goddamned reason as to why Harry is the sweetest thing on earth. I have enough cavities, Thank you” Nick expressed. The irritation was noticeably dripping from his voice.  Someone kicked his leg and slapped his head but he felt that he would prefer physical pain to death by words. That was an awful way to go.

 

“Hey babe, didn’t you need to go to the loo?” Liam asked Danielle before Louis could retort. He knew the look Louis was giving Nick, the one tethering between embarrassment and planning murder. Brittany was far too new in the relationship to have to sit through an episode of “who has the largest cock”.

 

“Oh right!” Danielle exclaimed quickly realizing what Liam was trying to do. “Britt, care to accompany me to the little girls room?”

 

“’Course” Brittany replied oblivious to the tension. She gave Louis a kiss on the cheek as she stood up and followed the bottle blonde away from the table.

 

“Why are you being such a dick?” Louis asked glaring at Nick.

 

“Why are you being such a bore?” Nick shot back.

 

“Guys drop the dramatics. We are all friends here” Liam said taking control as usual. “I really hate to give Nick the satisfaction but Lou, you do realize that you have talked about Harry since we were in the car right?” Liam said with raised eyebrows. Louis dropped his glare, now feeling marginally betrayed. He needed new friends.

 

“No I haven’t” Louis shook his head rethinking all of the stories he had told in the past hour.

 

“Really, so we didn’t hear fifteen stories all starring Harry and yes I counted” Nick said with less irritation. He wasn’t trying to make Louis upset, he just wanted to have a fun night out. “What is up with that Tommo? I have fallen asleep like five times” he added taking a big gulp of his scotch.

 

“Oh my god, I have turned into one of those mothers that people hate because they never shut up about their kids.” Louis shook his head disgusted once he realized they were right. “I am my mom”

 

“I am just glad you didn’t have pictures” Steve, Nick’s very tolerant and patient boy toy supplemented. Louis had completely forgotten that Steve was even at the table but took note that he looked sleepier than when they first arrived.

 

“Oh I do” Louis replied absentmindedly unlocking his phone.

 

“Please do keep them to yourself” Nick practically yelled scared he may actually die before the dinner was over.

 

“Not that I mind the stories at all, I love Haz and know he is the light of the world, the sun in the sky, the crack to any addiction, but why the urge to share so much?” Liam questioned.

 

“I don’t know” Louis shrugged. “I feel kind of guilty leaving Haz at home”

 

“Psh, you are not that cool, I am pretty sure he is throwing a party right now to be free of you.” Nick smirked. The tension was slowly evaporating from the table as more alcohol made its way into their system.

 

“Nick is an idiot” Liam grinned. “But heading in the right direction, Haz is fine, he might have cried at first but I am sure Safaa has created a game to replace you.”

 

“Yes precisely, you have been replaced. Harry is like Louis who?” Nick pointed out.

 

“Great, you are just so helpful” Louis rolled his eyes.

 

“Was I trying to help?” Nick asked incredulously.

 

“No, I don’t think you were babe” Steve said. “I need a smoke to see if I can awaken from this slumber.”

 

“Was I really that boring?” Louis asked after Steve disappeared through the front doors.

 

“No not really, they were very cute stories” Liam assured.

 

“Payno please shut up, you are too damn nice” Nick expressed. “Listen, I love Haz, he is a cutie, even if he does call me ‘ikcy’- Thanks for that by the way, but there are only so many cuddly Harry stories I can hear before I start to question the reason for my existence” Nick informed. “And may I add that making my lover fall asleep isn’t exactly going to help me get laid tonight, thank you very much”

 

“First, I thought the reason for your existence was to study us, discover our weaknesses, and report back to your alien overloads.” Louis stated. “And second, I really don’t care if you get laid, you can leave, why were you even invited?”

 

“Oh please, you know I bring such joy to your life” Nick said. “And don’t change the subject. My understanding was that tonight was to catch up and what not, I didn’t realize we were paying homage to good ole Haz.”

 

“Alright fine, I won’t talk about Harry anymore” Louis promised. He didn’t want to admit that he actually felt sad at the request to end his tales. He really didn’t want anyone to be bored or annoyed, but he also couldn’t help wanting to talk about Harry. Harry is better than gold.

 

“Just to clarify, we love Harry” Liam vowed. “But please yea stop”

 

“You are lucky though, because Brittany still thinks you are all teddy bears and rainbows.” Nick noted. “She paid attention and even laughed at the story with the broccoli, because broccoli is funny”

 

“It was funny” Louis pouted.

 

“Yes really funny, please never tell it again” Nick shook his head. “Here fill your mouth with some of my crawfish and never speak again.

 

Louis rested his elbows on the table, not paying attention to Nick and Liam’s presumably widely inappropriate conversation. Maybe he had told a lot of stories tonight, but he always told a lot of stories. He could not understand why anyone would not want to hear a story involving Harry. He was the best human on the planet. It was really annoying because Louis had no other stories. He had been with Harry every day for three years, there was nothing else to talk about. He knew nothing else. You would think that fact would make Louis sullen but he wouldn’t change his life for anything.

 

“So what have we missed?” Danielle asked as Brittany and her rejoined the group at the table. Louis welcomed Brittany back with a sweet kiss, without the enthusiasm Liam used on Danielle but sweet all the same. For the sake of the date Louis was going to try very hard to knock the anger that was trying to seep through back down to the depths of his soul. He was telling himself that Nick was just not one to enjoy domestic bliss and was therefore cranky to hear such tales.

 

“Not much, I have just seemed to have lost my lover thanks to some people.” Nick informed looking at the door in search of his gingered boyfriend.

 

“Oh we bumped into him, his in the loo” Brittany said with her usual smile.

 

“Ah, well in that case, Have I got some stories for you” Nick said with that smirked that prepared everyone for a very sexual chronicle. “So last weekend we decided to get a little silly and—“

 

“No, hold the hell up!” Louis bellowed. So perhaps he was going to let the anger get the best of him.  “SO what if I have talked about Harry all night? He is everything to me and I will most likely be losing him to his douche bag father in three days, so sorry if I bored you and made the new boy of the night not want to sleep you tonight but I really don’t give a crap. He will probably save himself from many diseases. I’ll let it slide Liam, because you have actually been around for most of the stories, so I am sorry I bored you. But Nick, you have barely seen Harry since the accident and for someone who claimed to be his best mate you should appreciate all the stories, maybe take some notes and stop being a douche and come visit. Don’t get all bitchy at me because my life revolves around him. He deserves all the love and attention.  My life will pretty much be ending come Monday and I am here wasting my last precious moments with Harry trying to catch your ungrateful ass up.” Louis was breathing rather heavily by the end of his impromptu monologue. He stuck a birdie in the air for further effect and pushed his chair back roughly.  He headed out the door leaving Brittany and Danielle very confused but he could not turn back now.

 

Louis calmed himself enough for the embarrassment to set in. He really didn’t want to be all dramatic however he had been bottling everything up these past few weeks so it was bound to explode. He was positive that he wasn’t really angry at Nick. He was way more infuriated at Des and all the trouble he was causing; unfortunately Nick just got a piece of those emotions. Although Louis won’t lie, it felt a little good to tell him off. Just a little bit.

 

He found a nice piece of unoccupied wall to the side of the restaurant where he could sulk in peace. His greatest desire was to go back home and engulf Harry in a massive cuddle and never let him go. Of course he didn’t drive tonight so he had to wait around until everyone was ready to leave. There was no way he was going to go back into that restaurant after his little rant.

 

“Mind if stand next to you?” A voice broke Louis from his thoughts.

 

“Uh…not at all” Louis nodded and moved a little to give Nick more space to stand next to him.

 

“You know” Nick coughed after a few moments of awkward silence. “I will always remember the day Harry and his family got into that bloody car accident. We had been texting that whole day. We had even made plans to meet up the following weekend before you guys went back to One Direction stuff. He had told me that he had woken up with a bad feeling. He felt something really bad was going to happen that day. He didn’t know to who but it was going to be tragic. I told him to stop being such a girl, hug his mommy and that I would see him soon. But we never met up. Instead a day later I was driving to Cheshire to watch one of my very best mates fight for his life".

 

“Nick...” Louis whispered. That was a complete shock, Louis was actually at a loss for words.

 

“Yea, I haven't gone much to visit and I am horrible and I suck. I know this but I can’t help but feel unbelievably guilty every time Harry can’t figure out what letter comes after ‘J’ or cries because he wet himself. If I had taken him seriously, maybe, I don’t know, I could have told him to convince his family to stay home or something. Possibly his family would still be alive and maybe Harry would be Harry. I am sorry that I upset you Lou; I know that you are dealing with a lot and I know Harry is just pure, unadulterated Leprechaun gold. Nevertheless, hearing all those stories reminds me that the Haz I knew is gone and it’s still just too painful for me. I just am not as strong as you” Nick finished not even bothering to hide the tears falling down his face.

 

“Nick, I am the biggest douche of life” Louis turned so he was facing the other man. “I didn't mean anything I said, I am so sorry. I am sure you have no diseases and you are not a douche. I get so caught up in my situation sometimes that I completely forget other people have feelings. I may be beginning my menstrual cycle.” Louis tried lightening the mood.

 

“That would be an unfortunate trick” Nick laughed. He wiped his cheeks getting rid of the saltiness stinging his cheeks. “Thanks, but no need to apologize, I just had to justify my douchiness.”

 

“Listen, for what it’s worth, I don’t think that you really could have done anything to stop that car accident. It was in the cards. I am sure though that Harry is grateful that you ordered him to hug his mum one last time. I am positive he did. Also, and I will deny this in a heartbeat, you are stronger than you give yourself credit.” Louis acknowledged genuinely.

 

“Oh shucks you make me blush” Nick grinned appreciatively. “I never thought you and me would ever have a heart to heart.”

 

“I personally thought it was far too dramatic, I like it better when you attempt humor” Louis chuckled. He feeling much more at ease and back to his normal testosterone filled self.

 

“I am the funniest guy you have ever known Tommo” Nick smiled. “Common lets go back inside, I am sure Brittany hasn’t heard about the time you took Harry to the radio station and he accidently leaked JT’s billionth album.”

 

“Oh yea, that was hilarious!” Louis laughed at the memory.

 

“I don’t know about hilarious but it is a good story” Nick nodded.

 

Louis lead Nick back into the restaurant truly happy the drama was over with and finally ready to enjoy the rest of the night.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I took soooo long to update. I have been super and annoyingly busy lately. Hopefully I will update sooner rather than later. Thanks for reading=D


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be cute for Safaa and Harry to have a play date. Hope you enjoy the fluffiness=D

 

Safaa glanced up when Louis and her brother wordlessly and skillfully switched places. They were like freaking ninjas. Harry didn’t even blink. She was just about to bid Louis farewell with a casual ‘see you later’ when Zayn quickly compelled her mouth closed with his index finger to his lips. Astutely she didn’t investigate, deciding instead to finish coloring a slightly disheveled ‘Patrick’ a beautiful shade of pink or ‘Rose’ as Crayola had christened the waxy utensil.

The longer it took for Harry to realize that Louis was gone the better.  Luckily, Harry was far too comically engrossed in his colorful creation that all his green eyes could see were the fictional residents of Bikini Bottom illustrated on his page.

As a silent thank you Zayn ruffled his sister’s hair, which in their big brother-baby sister relationship also meant ‘you are the best’. He picked up a crayon of his own electing to color in the picture that Louis left behind. SpongeBob riding a skateboard, underwater, because everyone does that.

 “I done” Harry declared happily dropping the green crayon he had been using to color in the algae that made up the grass of the famous underwater city. He held up his picture as proof that he was in fact the winner of the always exciting coloring race. His smile quickly slid of his face when he saw the black quiff instead of the brown fluffy one that had been next to him just a little while ago.

“Yay Haz, you won!” Zayn cheered. Harry’s bottom lip did the classic wobble as he turned his head behind him, eager to catch a glimpse of Louis in the kitchen. Tears had been expected but Zayn very badly wanted to skip that part of the evening. “Since you won, you get to pick what we have for dessert tonight!”

“I was so close! I think it’s only fair that I help in this extremely important decision” Safaa exclaimed. By the overly, excited voice Zayn was using she picked up on the fact that he desperately wanted to prevent Harry’s wobble from turning into a tantrum. She knew from previous experience that they were not fun. It was like watching a kitty cry. “I am pretty sure there is ice cream with cookie dough in the freezer, there is always ice cream in this house”

“Good contribution Saf. What do you think Haz?” Zayn asked. Harry turned away from Zayn and crossed his arms the unhappiness oozing from his hunched frame.

“Boo Bear leave” Harry bottom lip quivered completely ignoring the possibility of the frozen treat. Pfft…Boo Bear was far grander than silly ice cream.

“He will be back soon Haz” Zayn promised. “Now think, do you want some chocolate sauce or colorful hundreds and thousands?”

“Want Boo Bear” Harry replied softly turning back to glower at Zayn. As expected his bottom lip further developed into a pout, that godforsaken pout that always rendered Zayn soft and useless. Crystalline liquid flooded Harry’s cheeks and crayons were thrown wretchedly across the room leaving small streaks on the plasma screen of the television.

“Um…I think I will go make sure that Niall doesn’t’ eat all the pizza” Safaa mumbled hastily excusing herself, not wanting to witness the waterworks. Harry turned in on himself and repeatedly wailed for ‘Boo Bear’.  Zayn contemplated giving Harry a minute to calm down but it seemed every passing second reminded him of his ache.

“Come on Harry, don’t lose your mind love, let’s calm down” Zayn beseeched pulling Harry to his lap. He wrapped his arms around Harry’s torso hoping to soothe him.

“Lose Boo Bear” Harry hiccupped, tears and snot coating his face with pure heartbreak.

“Buddy you did not lose Boo Bear, he will be back before you know it” Zayn rubbed his back trying to calm him. He leaned under the coffee table reaching for some tissues to wipe Harry’s face clean of the gooey mess. Harry blew his nose when prompted but the tears kept their steady flow.

“Leave me” Harry whimpered miserably turning to find comfort into Zayn’s neck, kindly sharing his sadness.

 “He didn’t leave you love, Boo Bear is just having dinner with some friends” Zayn clarified rocking the younger boy slightly.

“Boo Bear my friend” Harry declared possessively.

“He is and will always be your friend, your bestest friend.” Zayn agreed.

“But leave me” Harry noted tragically.

“He is just having dinner love, he will be back before you know it” Zayn repeated for what he was sure was the tenth time. “Don’t you always have fun with NiNi and Zaynie?”

“Yes” Harry nodded slowly.

“Right, so how about we wipe away those tears and go have some dinner and then we can have some fun” Zayn coaxed. He used a hand to lift Harry’s head towards him and brushed some curls from his forehead.

“And then boo bear back?” Harry hoped. Shakily he used the back of his hand to wipe the remaining moist from his cheeks.

“That’s right, after all the fun Boo Bear will be back” Zayn guaranteed. He could see the wheels turning in Harry’s mind, the pout almost vanished. “Besides, Safaa came a long way just to play with you because she says you are really cool” he added for good measure.

“I cool?” Harry pointed to his chest. Gloom replace with skepticism.

“That is what Safaa said” Zayn winked. It was a personal victory when Harry’s whole demeanor changed from ‘my life is ending’ to ‘Mr. Sunshine’.

 “What play?” Harry questioned very seriously. Zayn had to chuckle at the fact that he suddenly forgot his world was ending less than 5 seconds ago.

“I did hear something about a new game or something” Zayn smiled down at Harry who was twirling a finger in his hair with indisputable excitement. “You should ask her yourself”

“Play in room?” Harry was now very invested in the night.

“Sure Hazzy” Zayn consented. “But first we need to have dinner and you need to decide what we will be having for dessert”

“Ice cream” Harry selected while standing up and pulling Zayn up roughly yet adorably like only Harry knew how.  

“All good?” Niall inquired softly as Zayn and Harry finally took their seats at the table.

“Yea” Zayn nodded. Niall sighed with relief and put two slices of pizza on everyone’s plates. More than relieved that the evening had lost its theatrics.

“Haz, do you want me to cut up your pizza?’ Niall asked knowing that he always preferred his pizza cut up into little squares. He claimed it was because it tasted better but the boys knew it was just easier ammo. Maybe Niall had made it his life’s mission to teach him how to properly battle in a food fight. Harry was an epic warrior, much to Louis aggravation. Being that he was the one who usually had to clean up after the memorable attacks.

Harry was just about to accept the offer but stopped to watch Safaa eat her pizza with two hands and in its original triangular shape. It looked intriguing. He loved his little cheesy squares but if someone as cool as Safaa was eating it like it came in the box, then he would too. Because he was also cool. He shook his head to decline Niall’s proposal and tried to figure out how he was supposed to actually eat a pizza not in little squares.

“Okay, weird but okay” Niall shrugged, sharing a surprised glance with Zayn before taking his seat.

Safaa was humming a random tune with each bite, catching a few bits of Niall’s seemingly embarrassing tale of how he failed at flirting with a ‘fit bird’. Her eyes fell on Harry, who was sat across from her. His hair fell over his eyes thanks to his head being bent down analyzing the untouched slices in front of him. It was the same look Zayn used when he couldn’t figure out how to finish a drawing.

Safaa was very aware that Harry thought about things differently but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what could possibly be so confusing about pizza.

First she thought that maybe it was too hot. But seeing as they were all eating the same pizza without any complaint on the temperature that couldn’t be it. She then thought maybe he didn’t like pizza but that was ridiculous because who doesn’t like pizza. She knew for a fact that Harry loved pizza because on her last visit that was the meal he requested every day that week.

Safaa gazed over the middle of the table where a pile of plastic knives and forks lay. That’s when she realized what was wrong. Harry didn’t know how to eat the pizza because he was used to it being cut up. Easy ammo, she remembers the battle well.  Call it intuition but she figured that he declined Niall’s offer to cut it up because she hadn’t cut hers up. By the way Harry’s lips were pursed in an inquisitive manner she was sure that he really wanted to change his mind. Safaa glanced at her remaining slice and knew what had to be done.

“I think I am going to cut my pizza in little squares” Safaa stated to herself but loud enough to get everyone’s attention.

“Um okay, thanks for narrating” Zayn gave his sister an odd look. Harry jerked his head up watching Safaa in all her coolness.

“NiNi cut please” Harry requested almost immediately, moving his plate towards the blonde. Zayn and Niall looked at each other before it clicked. Harry was copying Safaa and Safaa had cut up her pizza so that Harry would want to cut his as well. If that was not the most adorable thing in the world, then what was? (Nothing would be the correct answer)

“Right away” Niall granted after he stopped dramatically ‘awing’ at Safaa.

“Saf, you are a special kid, you know that?” Zayn whispered nudging his sister’s elbow.

“Special enough that you can get mom and dad to buy me a unicorn?” Safaa grinned at her brother.

“If they existed sure” Zayn smirked.

“I can’t believe you just said that” She gasped incredulously.

“Yea man, they totally exist” Niall defended. “I would know, since they are Irish after all”

“You do realize that you say everything is Irish right?” Zayn rolled his eyes lightheartedly.

“Everything is Irish and you are just kidding yourself if you don’t know this” Niall stated matter-of-factly. “Harry quick, where do rainbows come from?”

“Irish” Harry replied remembering NiNi telling him the fabulous story of how a Leprechaun used the sun to create a rainbow to hide its gold in Ireland.

“See?” Niall smirked, ruffling Harry’s hair.

“Well if Harry says it then it must be true” Zayn chuckled.

Niall than began a history lesson on the phenomena that is Ireland. Apparently it is full of magic and wonder. All Safaa really gathered was that Niall really loved his country probably more than is necessary. And Harry loved a good story. He was eating up every word Niall said, not even picking up on Zayn’s doubtful retorts. Also, Unicorns are real.

With a mocked ‘Ireland is the best place on earth’ Zayn was finally able to bring the ever enlightening and lengthy lecture to a close. A short description of ‘scoops and nanas’ from Harry lead to the creation of the best banana-split sundaes the world had ever known.

Niall and Zayn took turns trying to force Harry to wash his face from his sticky ‘art’ but he was adamant that ice cream all over your face was how everyone was wearing it and they were fools for not copying him. Niall may have let out a few choice words when Safaa said she wanted to wash her face and suddenly Harry also wanted to wash his face.

Safaa now found herself crossed legged in the middle of Harry’s floor listing games they could play. They had just finished an extensive game of twister with Niall and Zayn, after Niall lost and threw a hissy fit Safaa and Harry were left on their own.

So far Harry had not been interested in any game that Safaa had suggested. Turning down Candyland, hopscotch, house and even playing with his train set. At this point Safaa was certain he wanted to play ‘let’s see how many times I can say no before the other person wants to scream for mercy.’

“How about…” Safaa put her index finger to her chin thinking of something Harry would like. “Hide and seek.”

“Yes” Harry nodded excitedly making Safaa whoop that he finally agreed to something.

“Do you remember how to play?” Safaa inquired. She quickly thought of the first time Harry learned to play hide and seek. It took the whole day but he finally got it. And she was happy that she had been the one to teach him. It was like returning the favor for all the times he would go visit Zayn in Bradford and spend some time drinking tea and playing Barbie’s with her.

“Yes” Harry assured her.

“Tell me how to play” She requested just to make sure he did actually remember.

“Um…hide and look” Harry stated.

“Right, do you want to hide? Or do you want to look?” Safaa asked.

“I look” Harry responded after thinking it over.

“Sounds good, your bed is base. Come with me” Safaa instructed grabbing his hand and sitting with him on his race car bed.

“What base mean?” Harry mused, his head tilted in confusion.

“It means that if I touch your bed before you find me then I win” Safaa explained the concept not really knowing how to explain the actual word.

“Why?” He asked.

“That just how you play the game, do you understand?” Safaa inquired.

“Yes FaFa” Harry replied even though he still looked slightly confused. Safaa figured Harry would get the hang of it once they actually started playing.

“Can you count to 10?” Safaa suddenly remembered that he would have to be able to do that.

“I count 20” Harry beamed proudly.

“Really?! That’s awesome Harry” Safaa praised genuinely happy which caused Harry’s own smile to widen significantly.

“You only have to count to 10 for the game but you can count to 20 if you want” Safaa explained. “Now you kneel here, and put your head in your hands and count to 10 or 20 and then you go find me downstairs. You have to touch me to win, okay?” Safaa explained getting on her knees to demonstrate what he was expected to do.

“Okay” Harry said determinedly, getting into position and starting to count.

“Wait, wait, start counting when I say” Safaa laughed walking to the door. “Okay now start counting”

When she heard him restart counting she ran downstairs to look for a good hiding spot. She ducked into the laundry room but the room smelled too much of dirty, smelly boy so she quickly did an about face and headed to the kitchen. She snuck into one of the lower kitchen cabinets but then thought it would be too hard for Harry so she sprinted into the living room where Niall and Zayn were watching an American football game.

“Hey, everything cool?” Zayn asked from the couch when Safaa ran into the room breathing rather heavily.

“Yes, yes, I am on a mission to hide. I am not here, you have not seen me, you do not know me” Safaa ordered jumping behind the couch Niall was lounging on by the wall as boisterous steps were heard coming down the stairs. She covered her mouth as an attempt to hide her loud, unhelpful breathing.

“Haz, what are you doing?” Safaa heard Zayn ask sounding very amused.

“Look FaFa” She heard Harry respond sounding like he was pretty close to where she was crouching.

“I don’t think she can fit in that vase bud” Niall cackled and Safaa knew that he was red in the face after just a few seconds. She had to press her hands further over her mouth to hold in her own laughter when Harry justified that ‘FaFa little’.

From where Safaa hid she could see Harry on his hands and knees looking underneath the table. She was now completely against the wall and was pretty sure he heard her because he was crawling towards Niall, who was still in hysterics.

“Find FaFa” Harry announced feeling quite accomplished stopping in front of Safaa and pointing at her with a bright smile.

“You found me Harry, you are too good” Safaa clapped standing up. “Although I am pretty sure it didn't help that some people laugh over everything.”

“Hey he looked for you in the vase that was funny” Niall defended himself pointing to the vase decorating the side of the fireplace. In Harry’s defense it was a rather large vase, although Safaa could probably only fit one leg into it.

“You thought I could fit in that vase Harry?” Safaa poked his side.

“Fafa Little” Harry justified, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

“Not that little silly” Safaa laughed, kneeling down to ruffle his curls. “Do you want to hide now?”

“No” Harry shook his head.

“Are you sure?” Safaa questioned.

“No hide Fafa” Harry shook his head again, a little more fiercely.

“Okay, so what do you want to do?” Safaa asked putting her hands up in defeat.

“Break” Harry replied, flopping down next to Niall as if the 10 minutes it took to find Safaa was tremendously strenuous.

“Tired already Hazzy” Niall inferred an arm bringing the slightly younger boy to his chest.

“No” Harry shook his head and stuck his thumb in his mouth not because he was tired but because he wanted to. Niall chuckled sharing a knowing look with Zayn, who was holding Safaa on his lap.

“Are you sure buddy? You could take a nap” Zayn suggested nudging his leg.

“No Nap” Harry sprang up as if Niall’s shoulder just burned him. Saying ‘nap’ to Harry was like saying ‘hey lets go stab ourselves repeatedly with a big sharp knife’.

“I can’t believe you just willingly used the ‘N’ word” Niall disapproved with a face palm to further demonstrate the stupidity of Zayn’s words. Safaa was trying and failing to hide her smile when Zayn shrugged looking rather sheepish.

“No worries Haz, you don't have to take a nap” Niall assured kissing his forehead. “Zaynie was just being silly” Harry was appeased and settled back into Niall’s shoulder.

“Hey Harry, why don't you tell the guys the joke you told me?” Safaa proposed after a few minutes of TV noise. Maybe Niall was enjoying the random American football match. But really it was just noise in Safaa’s book.

“No” Harry stuck his head into Niall’s neck with a shy smile.

“Hazza, you told a joke I want to hear it” Niall encouraged, prodding Harry with his shoulder.

Harry kept his face hidden and shook his head. “No fun” he claimed.

“It was so funny Harry, tell them” Safaa prompted cheerfully.

“You say” Harry pointed to Safaa briefly rising from his safe haven.

“But it’s only funny when you say it” Safaa swore.

“Well now I really want to hear it” Zayn declared vibrantly. Harry lifted his head and put his mouth to Niall’s ear. It seemed he was passing the task of telling the joke to Niall, who was nodding and looking amused.

“Okay, what do the porcupines say when they kiss?” Niall repeated Harry’s words.

“I don't know what?” Zayn asked after talking it out with Safaa. Harry put his hand over his mouth smiling underneath and hid his head back into Niall’s shoulder.

“What do the porcupines say Harry?” Safaa nudged his knee. Harry giggled to himself before whispering into Niall’s ear and then quickly took cover once again.

“Ouch!” Niall said the punch line animatedly. The boys laughed louder than was probably necessary but Safaa knew it was to make Harry feel like it was really very funny. Although she was certain Niall was not faking anything.

“That was so funny Hazza” Niall said ticking Harry’s side causing him to move from his hiding spot with the happiest screech.

“You are the funniest Hazzy” Zayn ruffled Harry’s hair basking in the way he was radiating happiness.

“I funny” Harry echoed, a finger tangling his chocolate locks.

“See I told you it was funny” Safaa exclaimed. Harry leaned over and planted a sweet, wet kiss on Safaa’s unsuspecting cheek.

“Still quite the charmer Haz” Niall smirked, pinching Harry’s cheek. Safaa smiled and held her hand to her still wet cheek. Her heart was overflowing with so much ecstasy she didn’t know what to do with it. Zayn even made a comment about how he was going to get diabetes from all the sweetness of the night. Harry was still a very lovable guy who loved to give and get hugs but kisses, now those were reserved for the most special people. And she had made the cut.

When Zayn invited Safaa to spend the week at his flat she was more than thrilled. She barely got the chance to see her brother since he lived all the way in London. She was very excited to get to hang out with him and Perrie. And the fact that Zayn had promised to the end the week with a play date with Harry was just icing on the cake.

Harry had always been Safaa’s favorite from her brother’s band. He was always so nice to her. They were all nice of course but he was different. Where one of her brother’s friends would say ‘What’s up Saf?’ just out of politeness, Harry would make them tea and sit across from her listening intently as she filled him in on the tales from Year 3. It was like, because he had become Zayn’s ‘brother’ she had become his little sister too.

Safaa will admit that she had been beyond nervous that Harry would have forgotten her already. And yea now Harry couldn’t make tea or tell those really long yet entertaining stories but he was still her favorite and it was so important to her that he remembered her.

The fact that he not only remembered her but thought of her of as someone special warmed her whole being. And also added a little pressure to end the night with a bang.

“I just thought of something else to do Harry” Safaa smiled warmly. “Do you want to keep playing or do you want to stay here with these uncool people?” Safaa asked. ‘Hey!’ Zayn and Niall exclaimed indignantly.

“Play Fafa” Harry replied quickly.

“Great, come on” Safaa grabbed his hand and lead him back to his room.

“Fafa what play?” Harry questioned, excited at the possibilities that his little friend’s mind could come up with.

“Do you like slides?” Safaa asked. Of course she knew the answer was yes because only ugly, soulless creatures didn’t like slides.

“Yes” Harry nodded. He has a beautiful soul.

“I thought it would be fun to make our own slide” Safaa grinned.

“How?” Harry tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. “No outside”

“We don't need to be outside Hare-Bear” Safaa clarified with what she thought was a spectacular nickname. To now be used always. “All we need is your mattress and the stairs.”

“How” Harry wondered utterly confused.

“I will show you” Safaa snapped her fingers and skipped to Harry’s bed. She quickly removed the SpongeBob duvet and sheets, leaving the fitted sheet on the mattress.

“Help me lift the mattress please” Safaa directed, quickly giving up after realizing it was pretty heavy and she was pretty tiny. Without hesitation Harry lifted up the mattress in a swift motion, being much stronger than a 10 year-old. Safaa motioned for him to follow her with the mattress and they stopped at the top of the stairs.

“Now we sit on the mattress, hold on really tight and slide down.” Safaa explained slowly. “Do you want to go first?”

“No I see” Harry shook his head still trying to figure out the whole mattress also being a slide.

“Okay no problem” Safaa grinned and climbed onto the far end of the mattress. With one hand she held the side of the bed and the other hand held a pillow from Harry’s bed in front of her.

“Harry push the bed please” After a second the bed was sliding down the staircase fairly quickly. Much quicker than she expected actually. When the bottom of the steps came closer she realized she probably should have opened the door of the laundry room that she was about to –‘BAM!!’.  Luckily the pillow she thought to use protected her from the most likely painful wood door.

“Fun Fafa!” Harry noted excitedly, eyes shining, after running down to catch up with her.

“You see I told you!” Safaa beamed, very much enjoying that brightness etched on his whole face.

“Um…what are you guys doing exactly?” Zayn appeared with Niall on his heels. They were watching Iron Man 3 (for the 10th time), it had taken a good minute to realize that the crash they heard was not part of the movie.

“Looks to me like they are having the time of their lives” Niall deduced after noticing Harry’s mattress at the bottom of the stairs. It actually looked like a pretty good time if he was being honest.

“We just made a slide, it’s totally safe, got a pillow” Safaa said, holding up the pillow hoping to ease the look of apprehension from Zayn’s face.

“Fun Zaynie” Harry assured.

“I am sure love” Zayn cupped Harry’s cheek. “But a pillow made of feathers is not exactly protection. The last thing we need is someone getting hurt.”

“If we promise to be really careful can you not be a kill joy” Safaa rolled her eyes sassily. It was Zayn who had taught her about this particular adventure after all.

“Z, it actually looks safe and -“Niall stopped with Zayn’s glare of death that was surprising still scary as hell. “I mean slide bad”

“Thanks for the backup Niall” Zayn mumbled shaking his head. “Take this mattress back where it goes and figure out something else to do”

“But Zaynie I go” Harry whined.

“Nope, you can't go Harry. Now help Safaa take this back upstairs” Zayn ordered retreating back to the movie leaving an air of finality behind him.

“Oh come on Zayn, they are just living while their young, we taught them that” Niall grinned cheekily following him. “Don't look at me like that, do you need me to remind you what makes you beautiful.”

“You are a fool” was Zayn’s unamused reply.

“Come on Harry, let’s take the mattress back upstairs and do it one last time” Safaa said veins full of mischief.

“But Fafa, Zaynie say no go” Harry reminded her. He did not like to disobey because he always got in trouble when he did.

“He said that you couldn’t go but he didn’t say that we couldn’t go together” Safaa justified.

“Okay” Harry agreed after thinking that she made a whole lot of sense. Safaa was one smart cookie.

“Alright, you sit down first and then I’ll sit in front of you. Use one hand to hold the mattress and with the other hand hold the pillow in front of you” Safaa instructed handing Harry the pillow, because even if Zayn didn’t realize it, it was very protective.

“Okay and here we go!” Safaa exclaimed after making sure Harry was holding on correctly. With Harry’s help they pushed the mattress down the stairs once again. The fact that Zayn was going to be super pissed didn’t even damper the laughter as the mattress flew down. Like almost literally flew down. It seemed to be ten times faster than before, leaving Safaa’s stomach at the top of the stairs. Thankfully she remembered to open the door to the laundry room this time. Unthankfully the washing machine was all motionless and in the way.

Safaa would like to note that she broke her finger because she had valiantly given the pillow to Harry to protect him. She probably should have gotten a pillow for herself. Slight oversight.

“We fast Fafa” Harry cheered jumping off the mattress not realizing that Safaa was trying to hold back tears.

“Yup super-fast Hare-Bear” Safaa winced trying to act cool and not like she had just broken her finger, which may have been small but hurt a lot. Personally she deserves an Oscar.

“Are you two deaf? I am pretty sure I said not to slide down again” Zayn stomped into the laundry room understandably upset.

“No mad” Harry pleaded seeing Zayn with the same look Louis gave him when he ran out of paper and colored the walls. And that usually ended with too many minutes on the time out wall.

“You better believe I am mad, I distinctly remember telling you both to take the mattress back upstairs and do something else. What if someone…” Zayn rambled pacing around the room. Niall sat on the dryer bringing Harry to stand between his legs, smirking at Zayn’s lecture on the importance of listening and safety.

At this point Safaa had stopped listening and was really trying to will her bone back into place. What she would give for some Harry Potter hocus pocus right about now. Her plan was to wait for Zayn to finish schooling them and then privately inform him that she was slowly but surely dying.

However it was ten minutes later and Zayn was still babbling about God knows what. Safaa glanced behind her where she was hiding her finger and winced when she saw it was getting pretty swollen.

“Zed” Safaa interrupted.

“I am not finished!” Zayn bellowed and turned to complete another circle.

“Zayn…” Niall sighed.

“Niall, if you are about to spit one of our old song titles at me I will cut you” Zayn promised glaring at him.

“I was but I ‘changed my mind’” Niall grinned, tickling Harry to make the situation less intense. “But seriously you need to calm the flip down, no one got hurt and I am sure they won't do it again. They can even do time out if that helps, but please can you stop punishing me, I did nothing”

“Actually…um I sorta messed up my finger.” Safaa negated Niall’s statement that no one got hurt. She revealed her now really swollen index finger, also letting the tears fall. The pain was truly unbelievable. How could something so small hurt so much? Geeze Lapis.

“Oh my god Safaa, why didn’t you say anything” Zayn cried mid sentence kneeling to get a better look at his sister’s injury.

“Maybe because you decided to give us an impromptu sermon.” Niall muttered leaning over Harry’s shoulder to also examine Safaa’s finger. “Can you move your finger sweetheart?”

“I really don't want to try” Safaa admitted. She knew it would hurt if it did.

“Fafa have boo boo?” Harry pondered seeing everyone very interested in Safaa’s hand.

“She does but it’s all okay, she will be as good as new” Niall reassured him.

“We are going to have to go to the hospital” Zayn decided standing up. Safaa was almost going to say “duh” but her finger hurt too much to be sassy.

“I go?” Harry asked feeling sorry that Safaa had to go to the hospital.

“Nope, you and me are staying here buddy” Niall said firmly. “And I think Safaa is going to need some ice.”

“Saf, I think I am just going to drive you back to mom and dad’s after so say bye while I go get my wallet and ice.” Zayn instructed in his big brother voice.

“Bye Niall” Safaa waved smiling softly.

“See ya later sweets, it was nice to see you, hope next time you leave in one piece” Niall winked jumping down from the dryer. He gave Safaa a kiss on her forehead and stepped out of the room.

“Bye Harry” Safaa did her best to smile despite the pain. “Thanks for playing with me today, I hope you had fun”

“Lots fun Fafa” Harry nodded with the best smile she had ever received.  

“I am so glad you had fun Hare-Bare, I hope we get to play again soon” Safaa grinned, her pain having momentarily subsided. You really can’t think of anything but happy things with Harry’s smile. His craters for dimples and shining eyes blocked out all other emotions. As she followed Zayn out to the car she said a silent prayer that Harry would always stay happy and healthy.

 

 

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse any grammatical errors and thanks for reading! x

**Chapter 18**

 

Louis pushed past the feeling of inadequacy that was stealthily seeping into his synapses. This was the biggest game of the year and he was letting his whole team down. No one had actually confirmed those suspicions to him but he knew he was playing dreadfully. He kept missing basic passes from his teammates and then there was that foul called on him when he jumped on a player from the other team. He promises that was a complete accident. He was trying to get to the ball not make a grown man cry.  Although the fact that it was the same player that kept bumping into him just to whisper snide remarks was a bonus. His team could not lose today, especially not because of him. He didn’t need to add shitty player to his already lengthy list of faults.

 

Finally the player with _Rossi_ displayed on the back of his jersey showed enough of the ball at the right moment and Louis was able to perform the most graceful steal he was sure the whole football community had ever witnessed. His confidence was slightly restored when he heard _Rossi_ let out a stream of very unbecoming phrases. He really can’t help the smile that came to his face as he moved away from everyone trying to take the moment away from him.

 

He is flushed and can practically hear his sore muscles begging for rest but the love of sport has him furiously kicking the ball down the center of the field. He ignores the wordless plea to pass from his equally flustered teammate on his right and continues towards the goalkeeper.

 

With a spirited grunt he delivered one final kick from the halfway line. The ball soars right past the head of the other team’s defense. He holds his breath as he waits for the ball to be missed by the goalie and land deep inside the net getting his team closer to victory. He needs to prove that he isn’t worthless, that his team needs him, that they can’t possibly function without him.

 

He waits but doesn’t hear the usual response to the ball making it into the net. He has to check around the field to make sure that he had actually sent the ball to its fate. An intense vibration on the ground makes everyone stop any further attempt at playing the game and they all look to each other searching for answers. It’s a mere seconds later that an obnoxiously loud crack echoes throughout the whole arena. The pulsation makes his knees buckle and he has to squat to steady himself. With another crack the green of the field splits right down the middle taking the ball, net and many stunned players into its earthy depths.

 

Louis shrieks with surprise mingled with horror as the earth continues to open speedily towards him. Without further hesitation he turns to run in the opposite direction, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. He has to stop abruptly when the air around him becomes smothered in a fog so thick not even squinting helps see through it. He wants to run, find anyone that might know what the hell was going on, but he can’t be sure that he will find solid ground, he is currently not even sure if there is anyone left to solve this particular mystery.

 

While standing frozen his mind became trapped in his pretty pointless and not very useful thoughts. He really had the shittiest luck. Of all the times for there to be a seemingly natural disaster it had to be at the biggest game of his life. Okay the earth is having some sort of attack but couldn’t it have been after the game was over. After he proved that he actually was a skilled athlete, the he matters in life. He is an adult with endless possibilities and many different skillsets. He was not some worthless, dumb kid. But right, he hears the earth persist its trajectory to find him in the fog and priorities. 

 

His gut tells him that there is too much fog to safely make it out of the arena but the scream he hears on his right is what gets his legs to move cautiously to the left and hopefully closer to the outside. He thinks he sees a red door a few meters ahead of him and hope blooms in his chest. He stops mid jog when he hears a recognizable hum through all the chaos of the world collapsing. It’s so close he looks around where he stands to make sure that he is still alone and is in fact just losing his mind.

 

The hum shapes into the happy little jingle he knows to be about a kitty that is just a little ball of fur. It’s the same song he has spent three years singing to Harry whenever he was sad or he was sick or he just couldn’t remember all the lovely qualities of the kitty that got him through his toughest times. And of course the world is ending and instead of making it to the red door, his feet are frozen in place remembering his Hazza twirl a finger in a curl on his head as he rocked to the soothing tune. He shakes his head remembering that he was meant to find an escape. That is what people do when the world is ending.  Before he could make any definite decisions a warm, bright light engulfs him while still frozen on the football field.

 

With a sharp intake of breath Louis’ mind clears the fuzziness from his senses. The last remnants of his nightmare were chased away by the realization that he was lying on something soft with familiar warmth wrapped around him. Further tactile investigation revealed his soft imported feather duvet through his fingers. A mental sigh allows his brain to focus and he cautiously opens one eye lid.

 

Right above him there is a large faded stain from that time when Harry thought it would be more practical to use red spaghetti sauce to paint the ceiling instead of the paint Louis had spent hours choosing. Usually looking at that stain brought momentary feelings of annoyance but now relief is the only thing that washes over him. He was not in the middle of the game of the century and no mysterious crack was trying to capture him into its depths.

 

A pinch on his right big toe gets his other eye to open. He wipes a hand down his face before propping up on his elbows. When he glances down where his feet lay he receives the toothiest smile as soon as green sees blue.

 

"Up Boo bear!! No more sleepy!!! No more sleepy!!"  Harry demanded gleefully. The mattress shifted bumpily as Harry jumped onto his lanky legs and dips the bed deeper and deeper, the cheerfully piercing cadence succeeding in fully arousing Louis from his dream state.

 

Before Louis gets the chance to scold Harry for jumping on the bed an unwarranted pain rips through his abdomen. He pushes off his elbows and sits up quickly pressing both of his palms to his stomach at a misguided attempt to push the pain back from where it came from. Of course that just caused the pain to further travel throughout his stomach making a little groan escape from his mouth. 

 

Unfortunately Harry did not seem to notice that every bounce he made caused Louis stomach to cramp harder. It seemed that his earlier nightmare was just foreshadowing to this moment where the world collapsing was a code for death by tummy. He really had the worst luck.

 

"Hazza please stop jumping on the bed" Louis hissed softly still holding his stomach protectively.

 

“Hi” Harry greeted contently and haphazardly threw himself directly onto Louis not noting the green shadow Louis was sure was coloring his face.

 

“Hi…love” Louis mumbled really struggling to keep the contents of his stomach from spilling all over Harry.

 

"Boo Bear I hungry, no sleepy" Harry declared pushing Louis against the headboard, unintentionally punching his belly in the process. Louis tried his best to not yelp when his stomach roared at the blow and began to cramp more ferociously.

 

"I am so sorry Hazza, I must have turned…off the alarm clock...uh... Lets go get... get some food" Louis stuttered as calmly as he could. The last thing he needed was for Harry to freak out on him.

 

Harry squealed delightfully and jumped off of Louis. He gave Louis the chance to throw on a shirt before energetically pulled him off the bed.

 

Louis was never one for organized religion but each step he took down the stairs brought him closer to getting on his knees and sending for divine intervention. He was also trying to figure out why he had a two story house. He should have gone with the bungalow, what a stupid mistake.

 

"Boo Bear make ''roni's please?" Harry requested once they had reached the bottom of the steps. In his excitement of the meal he didn’t take note of the way Louis was practically hunched over and scrunching his face up in pain.

 

"Sure" Louis puffed through another painful wave that rippled round his abdomen making him whimper and grip tightly onto Harry’s arm.

 

“I help” Harry said tugging Louis into the kitchen.

 

“Yes of course you can help” Louis granted quietly. The pain in his abdomen dissipated randomly only to leave him with a thumping in his head.

 

“More fast Boo Bear” Harry commanded when Louis stopped to catch his breath at the counter.

 

“Love…” Louis was just about to say that he was moving as fast as he could when he got the feeling that he needed to be in the bathroom as soon as possible. He pushed past a puzzled Harry and sprinted to the downstairs restroom.

 

Just seconds later the contents of Louis stomach were displayed at the bottom of the toilet bowl. He clutched the rim of the toilet tightly as he heaved what he assumed to be the lobster from last night. He wasn't sure how but somehow this was Nick's fault. If he hadn't insisted that the lobster was the best thing to happen to the earth he probably wouldn't have ordered it. Nick would be dead by morning.

 

It really felt as if the crustacean was trying to claw its way back out. This was some cruel revenge for ending its life so viciously. Louis was one to understand the need for vengeance but he really wished the Lobster would have taken the higher road and just accepted its fate.

 

Harry immediately followed Louis very confused as to why he was pushed out of the way. Pushing is not nice. He had to investigate and instantly regretted it. There was his Boo Bear kneeling on the floor, throwing up what he was sure was everything needed to live. He couldn’t let his Boo Bear go bye bye. Who was going to cuddle with him and kiss his ouchies?

 

No he was not going to let anything happen to Boo Bear. He had been sick before but his Lou always took care of him. He was no Lou but he would figure out how to make him all better.

 

The lobster remnants finally seemed to have made their disgusting escape as the liquid that lingered in Louis belly swooshed to silence finding peace at last. The tiny vessels in Louis’ head were now pulsating so loudly he was certain they were going to burst and he was going to have an aneurysm right there on the white tile. He closed his eyes hoping to make everything slow down and laid down letting his cheek snuggle with the cool tile.

 

"Boo bear yucky" Harry noted anxiously from the doorway chewing on his thumb nail at an astonishing rate.

 

“Oh babe, I didn’t see you there” Louis hiccupped from a mixture of crying and throwing up.

“Boo bear yucky” Harry stated again this time going to kneel where Louis lay.

 

“I just had some food that is giving my tummy some issues but I will be fine sweetie" Louis assured still not opening his eyes but letting a small smile come to his lips.

 

“No yucky” Harry stressed. He did not like to see the tear tracks on Louis’ cheeks and just needed all of Boo Bear’s yuckiness to go away, preferably forever.

 

“Hazza, it’s no big deal” Louis tried getting his voice to sound like he hadn’t just thrown up everything he had ever eaten in his life ever.  “I need you to go upstairs to my room and bring me my phone, can you do that for me Hazza?"

 

Harry nodded quickly and turned to fulfill his Lou's request.

 

“I bring phone" Harry announced less than 30 seconds later and handed the mobile to Louis.

 

"Thanks Hazza Bear" Louis said as he dialed Liam's number. He was going to need someone to come take care of Harry because he was pretty sure his misery was just getting started. He could already feel his stomach making a huddle for attack number two.

 

Louis sighed when Liam, and then neither Zayn nor Niall picked up their phone. He sent them each a quick text letting them know that he was pretty sure he was dying and needed someone to come watch Harry. He also sent a text to Nick to let him know that this was his entire fault and to not leave the country.

 

"I make Boo Bear better" Harry said determinedly leaning down and giving Louis a kiss on the cheek.

 

"Aww, you are so sweet my Hazza bear” Louis smiled momentarily forgetting his agony. Harry was very tenderly stroking Louis’ cheek. The fact that Harry’s ‘tender’ was others ‘rough’ did not stop Louis from purring at the thoughtful gesture. Just then Liam texted Louis back letting him know that the cavalry was on their way.

 

"Let's go have a lie down okay, the guys are going to come over in a little bit" Louis said sitting up slowly, his head spinning a little bit.

 

"But I no sleepy, I up" Harry said standing up after him, not interested in going to bed when the sun was still out.

 

“I need you to stay with me love” Louis said wearily, not wanting Harry to be alone anymore. “I need your cuddles to feel better”

 

Harry stopped to consider this for a moment before happily agreeing to cuddles. But not just normal cuddles, they would be extra special to rid his Boo Bear of all ailments.

 

Louis griped the stair railing on the way back up to his room feeling his strength leave him slowly. Harry held Louis’ free hand and was softly patting Louis on his back declaring that “Boo Bear okay”. Once they reached the master, Harry very carefully pulled the covers down on the bed so that Louis could lie down and then climbed over him bringing the duvet over both their bodies. He got in close to Louis and pursed his lips leaving Louis’ forehead wet with love.

 

“Hazza you are so sweet” Louis cooed bringing Harry to his chest and closing his eyes. Not sleeping just resting. “You know what else might help me right now?”

 

“I no know” Harry shrugged playing with the buttons on the thermal shirt Louis was wearing.

 

“I would love it if you sang to me that would make me feel so much better” Louis said kissing Harry on the forehead.

 

"Sing make Boo Bear better?" Harry asked taking the notion into great regard.

 

"Yes so much better" Louis assured eyes still closed and not really expecting the request fulfilled. He had been asking Harry to sing for years now but he always got so shy and never did. He was really just trying to entertain Harry without having to move too much.

 

Harry sucked is some air before belting out the same tune his LiLi sang to him while Zaynie got rid of the monsters that liked to hide in his closest.

 

"Twinkle, Twinkle little star

How I la la la la

Twinkle, Twinkle little star"

 

"Oh Hazza Bear! Thank you so much, that was so beautiful.” Louis praised and kissed his cheek making Harry beam. He didn't sing the right words and it wasn’t even in the right tune but it was still his old raspy voice and that’s all that really mattered.

 

"Better now?" Harry questioned gazing up.

 

"I feel so much better thank you so much love" Louis said holding firmly onto Harry. Just like in his night mare Harry made everything all better.  

 

Silence fell over them as Louis tried to mentally intimidate the rumbling rising in his stomach into submission. Pain pills would have been a good idea but he really couldn’t find it in himself to leave the warmth of his Haz.

 

Harry was thinking about bunnies because there is never a bad time to think about bunnies. He was also rubbing Louis stomach as softly as he could just like Boo Bear did to him when his tummy hurt. Louis was going to praise him for being so thoughtful and gentle but sleep came before he could.

 

**********************

 

“Lou? Harry?” Liam called poking his head through the slightly opened bedroom door. He smiled when he spotted the pair on the bed, Louis flat on his back and Harry sitting crossed legged next to him rubbing the older boys’ belly in circles. “There you guys are”

 

“My LiLi shh!!” Harry ordered with his index finger to his lips. “Boo Bear yucky”

 

“Right, we are being quiet then” Liam tiptoed into the room and sat on the edge of the bed sandwiching Louis in.

 

“Boo Bear more sleepy” Harry said still rubbing circles on Louis’ stomach.

 

“Have you been taking care of Boo Bear?” Liam whispered cupping Harry’s cheeks who immediately leaned into the warm palm.

 

“I make better” Harry nodded very happy that his efforts were being noted.

 

“I bet you did love” Liam smiled leaning over to kiss his forehead.

 

Harry was just about to tell his LiLi all the things he did to make Boo Bear feel better when Louis sprang up emitting some weird alien noise. As it turned out round two was going to happen all over an unsuspecting Harry who wasn’t fast enough to move out of the way. Chunky green liquid paraded all down Harry’s front turning the animated yellow sponge on his shirt into brownish rubbish. Louis hurried to the bathroom before he could damage the rest of his room.

 

“No, No Harry you wait on the bed” Liam ordered stopping Harry from following Louis into the bathroom. After shouting that Niall should come up and make sure Louis didn’t actually die he went to clean up the bed and Harry.

 

“Mate, what the hell have you been eating?” Niall asked. Louis wiped his mouth with the moist towel Niall handed him and flushed the toilet.

 

“I thought it was the Lobster I had last night but I am pretty sure I am now just being punished” Louis exhaled sitting back against the wall.

 

“Why would you be punished?” Niall inquired his expression with faux seriousness. “Louis, tell me the truth…who did you kill?”

 

“No one yet but I suggest you say your goodbyes to Nick now, because he will be gone by morning” Louis leaned into Niall who didn’t hesitate to put his arm over his shoulder and tuck him into his chest.

 

“If anyone asks I protested but I’ll bring the shovel” Niall smirked.

 

“I can always count on Nialler” Louis replied tapping Niall’s cheek tenderly.

 

“Always” Niall nodded. “But really, you feeling any better?”

 

“I think I am going to die soon if that’s what you are asking” Louis said. “But that’s okay because I can’t even score a goddamn goal without the world collapsing.” He added quietly.

 

“Um…Okay I am missing large chunks of information... What the hell are you talking about?” Niall asked while putting his palm against Louis forehead to check for a temperature.

“It’s nothing, I just had a wicked dream this morning is all” Louis explained knocking Niall’s hand from his forehead. “Do you think Haz will forget us?”

 

“He isn’t going anywhere Lou, so it would be pretty hard to forget us” Niall said matter-of-factly.

 

“Ni please, I am pretty sure I am about to die here, I don’t need Li’s positive thinking crap” Louis said with a roll of his eyes.

 

“Okay fine Lou, no optimism over here but still if he does have to move in with his douche of a father, he isn’t going to forget us and even if he does he will never, ever forget you” Niall assured squeezing Louis’ thigh.

 

“He might” Louis whispered. “He forgets how to tie his shoes even though he has done it a thousand times now and he forgets where he puts his favorite SpongeBob doll even though it’s always in the same place, on my bed because “it’s safer”. He even forgets his own birthday. Why would he remember me?”

 

“Okay wow, you are dafter than I thought” Niall shook his head.

 

“Hey I am sick and sad over here” Louis murmured into Niall’s shoulder.

 

“Well I am sorry but seriously Lou that is the dumbest thing that has ever come out of your mouth and you have said quite a lot of dumb shit in your day” Niall expressed. “Haz forgets stuff sometimes but when he does, he finds Boo Bear to remind him. Because Boo Bear knows everything and is everything to him.  He will never ever, ever forget you Louis.”

 

“Thanks Ni but I said no Liamness” Louis smiled wiping the tear that fell down his cheek. He wasn’t crying, there was just something in his eye.

 

“Heyyy you promised you would never use that phrase again! ” Liam huffed playfully, having heard the last part of their dialogue. He leaned against the door frame with a pout.

 

“Don’t worry we love you ‘just the way you are” Niall sang with an enormous amount of cheek.

 

“Yea sure, see if I ever care about you again” Liam replied trying very hard not to smile. “And even though you don’t deserve it I brought you some Gatorade and Paracetamol Lou”

 

“Thanks Li you are actually my hero and I love you and all your Liamness” Louis said gratefully accepting the items from him.

“Thank you, I am awesome” Liam grinned causing Niall roll his eyes playfully. Before Niall could let Liam know just how not awesome he really was, Harry pushed past Liam and went straight to Louis. He was freshly showered and changed into black sweats and a blue cookie monster t-shirt. He could not handle having another SpongeBob shirt thrown away. He had no attachment to cookie monster, and it was Louis’ shirt anyway.

 

“Boo Bear okay now?” Harry asked extremely concerned.

 

“I am almost okay Hazza bear” Louis smiled softly. He lifted his other arm and let Harry cuddle up to him on the floor of the bathroom. He wasn’t planning on moving from that particular spot any time soon. “NiNi has been taking care of me.”

 

“No NiNi, I make Boo Bear better” Harry said lightly pushing Niall away from Louis shoulder and sticking Louis head into his neck.

 

“Oh I am sorry Haz, no worries I don’t even want to make Boo Bear better he is all yours” Niall chuckled and shared a smile with Liam, who was watching from the doorway.

 

“You are so much better at taking care of me anyway lovely” Louis proclaimed.

 

“I better” Harry nodded and stuck his tongue out at Niall who couldn’t help but cackle at Harry’s jealousy.

 

“Alright so Haz how about we go downstairs and get some lunch and Louis can get some rest.” Liam said after his own laughter settled down.

 

“No, Boo Bear yucky” Harry shook his head. How could he be expected to leave his Lou at this most horrifying time?

 

“It’s okay babes, I’m okay right now, go ahead and have some lunch” Louis prodded lifting his head from Harry’s neck.

 

“But I stay, please Boo Bear” Harry pleaded. In his mind Louis was just going to get worse if he left and only he could make him better.

 

“Buddy please go have lunch, I will be right up here.” Louis assured.

 

“I will make sure nothing happens to Boo Bear while you are eating Haz, I promise” Niall tried to persuade him.

 

“No lunch” Harry shook his head and held Louis away from Niall possessively.

 

“We will be fast cupcake” Liam promised.

 

 After getting the ‘do what whatever you need to do’ nod from Louis he quickly bent over and pried Harry’s arms from Louis torso. “No LiLi No” Harry cried as Liam picked him up and put him over his shoulder.

 

Liam held on barely breaking a sweat as he carried a kicking Harry down the stairs. He stopped in the kitchen and deposited Harry onto his feet in front of him. Zayn turned around from where he was making macaroni and cheese just in time to witness Harry repeatedly stomp his socked feet onto Liam’s booted ones. Which never happens, ever.

 

“What is going on?” Zayn asked abandoning the stove. “Harry stop that” Zayn ordered holding Harry’s arms behind his back and pulling him away from Liam, who actually looked slightly amused.

 

“LiLi mean Zaynie” Harry justified with a pout.

 

“Oh is he, I thought LiLi was the best thing that ever happened to the world” Zayn smirked while locking eyes with Liam.

 

“Apparently it is mean to want to feed people now.” Liam shrugged. He walked over to the stove to finish the mac and cheese. Harry gave up and turned around to hide in Zayn’s neck.

 

“Oh I see” Zayn nodded. “I don’t think it was very nice to stomp on Liam’s feet though Harry, even if he is mean, right?”

 

“I sorry LiLi, no more stomp” Harry said after a minute. He didn’t mean to stomp he just want to stay with Boo Bear is all.

 

“Thank you for apologizing cupcake.” Liam said understanding that he was just frustrated. “Look, Zaynie made your favorite, mac and cheese”

 

“No lunch LiLi” Harry lifted his head from Zayn’s shoulder. “Boo Bear yucky”

 

“Cupcake its okay Boo Bear is right upstairs, you can eat and he will still be upstairs just fine.” Liam assured.

 

Zayn had to practically drag Harry to the table and sit him down on his favorite chair. He held him down by his shoulders to keep him from bounding up the stairs to his beloved Boo Bear.

 

“Harry just calm down buddy, all you we want you to do is have lunch please don’t be so dramatic” Zayn pleaded.

 

“But I no want” Harry frowned looking very unhappy.

 

“Well I am sorry but you have to eat bud” Zayn said not releasing his hold.

 

“Zaynie!!” Harry whined losing his resolve.

 

“Harry!” Zayn mocked making Harry look up at Zayn and glare.

 

“Alright cupcake, let’s eat and then you can go back to Louis but only after you eat everything on your plate” Liam said placing a bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of him.

 

“No LiLi” Harry shook his head. Zayn released him but sat on the chair on his other side incase that he tried to make a run for it.

 

 “Let’s go Harry, start eating” Zayn ordered firmly, which is actually not very firm.

 

“No” Harry said hiding his mouth behind his hand.

 

"You haven’t eaten all day you have to be hungry" Liam tried to reason.

 

"No my LiLi " Harry shook his head again before recovering his mouth with his large hand.

 

"Yes my cupcake" Liam imitated and pushed the bowl of Mac and cheese closer to him. "Why don't you want to eat? It's your favorite and I know you are hungry"

 

"How my LiLi know?" Harry asked eyebrows knitting.

 

"Because, I can hear your tummy talking" Liam replied referring to the grumbling coming from Harry's stomach.

 

"Talking?" Harry questioned in a shocked whisper leaning his head down to try to listen. "What say?"

 

"It says 'Harry, please feed me that yummy Mac and cheese, I am so hungry" Liam said in a voice that he assumed a stomach would sound like if it possessed the ability to talk. He ignored Zayn’s snicker next to them and continued to focus on the task on hand. He forced a spoon into Harry’s hand hoping that would get him to eat.

 

"I sorry tummy, no eat" Harry said rubbing his stomach in large circles and dropping the spoon.

 

"Why don't you want to eat love?" Liam asked baffled as to why Harry didn’t want to eat his favorite meal like ever.

 

"Food bad, make Boo Bear yucky, I no yucky" Harry replied. Both Liam and Zayn looked at each other and released a very girlish and justified ‘aww’.

 

"Oh, cupcake this mac and cheese won’t make you yucky. What Boo Bear ate last night made him yucky." Liam assured moving some fringe from Harry’s forehead.

 

"My LiLi promise?" Harry asked. He really did not want to get yucky like Boo Bear, it did not look fun.

 

"Yes I promise babe” Liam guaranteed. “Can you eat now please?"

 

“Okay” Harry nodded and took the spoon in his hand before happily taking a bite.

 

Zayn and Liam talked around Harry about certain annoying domestic situations when "Just go!" was heard from upstairs. Footsteps quickly made their way downstairs and into the dining room.

 

"What did you do Niall" Liam smirked when Niall came into the room with a mischievous smile on his face. He pushed Zayn from his chair next to Harry and just laughed when Zayn cursed him for rudeness.

 

"I did nothing but just for future reference Louis does not like it when you try to take an anal temperature" Niall replied shrugging his shoulders.

 

"Why would you do that?" Zayn laughed, forgetting his annoyance at the blonde.

 

"I just wanted to make sure he didn’t have a temperature, it never hurts to be sure" Niall replied while he played with Harry's hair.

 

"Whatever you say Nialler" Liam chuckled.

 

A phone vibrating on the table cut through the laughter. The screen flashed ‘Lawyer’ and the air suddenly got just a little stifled. Harry continued to eat blissfully unaware of any change in the atmosphere.

“I’ll take this up to Lou” Zayn announced grapping the phone off the table.

 

"NiNi, my Lou yucky?" Harry asked before Niall and Liam could continue the conversation with their eyes. He pushed his now empty bowl away from him and rested his head on Niall’s shoulder.

 

"Yes he is bud, but he is getting better, he just needs to rest for a bit and then he will be as good as new" Niall guaranteed rubbing down his arm.

 

"My Lou no go sky?" Harry inquired needing to make sure.

 

"Aww, Haz of course not. He is just a little yucky, but he will be fine okay nothing to worry about" Niall reassured giving him a proper hug.

 

"He have tummy?" Harry asked curiously he remembers seeing a lot of stuff coming out of his Lou earlier.

 

"Yes Haz he does." Niall laughed. “His tummy is just where he left it.”

 

“Guys, Lou wants to talk to you guys I have been sent to distract” Zayn bounced back into the room. Liam and Niall nodded getting up without another word.

 

“I see Boo Bear now” Harry said determinedly pushing the chair back.

 

“No love, not yet” Zayn denied grabbing Harry’s wrist.

 

“But you say eat then see boo bear” Harry said trying to pull his arm from Zayn’s grasp. “Zaynie please” he added and Zayn swore that he could hear his heart strings begin to unravel. If he didn’t know that Louis was upstairs discussing court things with Niall and Liam he would have let Harry go upstairs in a heartbeat.

 

“Hazzy you can’t go see Boo Bear right now” Zayn shook his head.

 

“But I make better Zaynie” Harry pouted.

 

“I know love but you are forgetting a very important thing you need to make Boo Bear better” Zayn said trying to get Harry distracted.

 

“What Zaynie?” Harry questioned.

 

“You have to make Boo Bear a ‘Get Well’ card or else how could he even get better” Zayn justified with what he hoped to be a soothing smile.

 

“Card?” Harry repeated.

 

“Yea, remember when NiNi hurt his knee and you made him that card with a rainbow and kitty cat in the front and NiNi felt so much better!” Zayn reminded him.

 

“Make card Zaynie” Harry told Zayn as if it was his idea to begin with.

 

“Alright my love” Zayn smiled as Harry pulled him to the living room.

 

“Zaynie make bunnies?” Harry requested after they were sat in front of the coffee table.

 

“Sure Haz” Zayn replied reaching under the coffee table to get some construction paper and markers.

 

“’n birdie” Harry said pushing some paper towards Zayn who held a pencil at the ready.

 

“Whatever you want Haz” Zayn said folding the paper in half.

 

“I color?” Harry asked as he watched Zayn draw a bird kissing the cheek of a bunny.

 

“Yea Haz, you will color it” Zayn said handing the red card over to him.  

 

Harry bit his bottom lip as he selected a marker to fill in Zayn’s drawings. Zayn rested his chin on his forearms as he watched him. He couldn’t imagine not sitting in that very spot coloring next to Harry. It was one of the most significant moments in his life. He can’t say that he sits around his own flat coloring in books but he loves to see how enthused Harry gets by just colors on paper.

 

“Zaynie words” Harry opens the card and pushes it towards Zayn.

 

“You write them yourself” Zayn said pushing the paper back.

 

“I no know” Harry replied.

 

“I’ll write them on my paper and you copy them okay” Zayn said while writing out ‘Get Well Boo Bear’ in large letters.

 

“I do Zaynie see” Harry beamed after he copied the letters with a black marker.

 

“Very good Hazzy, Boo Bear is going to love it babes” Zayn promised loving the way Harry beamed and held the card to his chest.

 

“Give Boo Bear now?” Harry asked just when Niall and Liam came down the stairs talking quietly to themselves.

 

“Guys, can Haz go upstairs now?” Zayn interrupted wanting to be sure that Louis wasn’t upstairs crying and traumatized Harry.

 

“Yea Haz you can” Niall nodded. “I am going to make Boo Bear some soup, do you want to help me before you go?”

 

“I help” Harry agreed eagerly.

 

Niall led Harry into the kitchen living Liam to fill in Zayn on the not so good information that they had just received from the Lawyer. Niall was trying very hard to keep it together and be positive. Although he was trying to figure out how he could turn, ‘You should prepare Harry to move in with his dad’ positive. There was nothing positive about that statement even if Louis could always appeal or some other legal term Niall didn’t really understand. All he grasped from what Louis told them was that there was a very big possibility they would actually have to say goodbye to Harry. To their Haz.

 

He poured soup from a can into the bowl that Harry had gotten from the cabinet and put it in the microwave. While the soup heated Harry was showing Niall the card that he had just colored that said ‘Get Well Boo Bear’ on the inside of it. He was actually beaming at his work and Niall could really not imagine how they were supposed to prepare him to leave them forever.

 

The lawyer wanted them to make Harry understand that the monsters in his closet were just going to have to stay there because Zaynie couldn’t possibly jump across the pond and back to his own flat in the same night. When he wants to hear about Horton saving the little town of Whoville in the right voices Liam won’t be around to satisfy his need. Louis wouldn’t be around to kiss his ouchies and do all the cuddly things that Harry loved and needed on a daily basis. The most important thing for Niall is that when Harry needed to go to the swings he wouldn’t be there to push him as hard and high as he liked. How could they make him understand that when they didn’t understand it themselves?

 

“NiNi, I give soup” Harry requested when the microwave beeped announcing that the soup was heated to the set temperature.

 

“Sure bud, let’s take it to him” Niall consented taking the bowl of soup from the microwave and picking up a spoon.

 

“I take” Harry said trying to grab the bowl from Niall’s hands.

 

“Buddy, I need you to open the door for me love, I will carry the soup” Niall denied, knowing that he was too excited to hold anything steady.

 

“Open door” Harry said equally excited, leading the way to Louis’ bedroom.

 

“Knock on the door Haz” Niall instructed. Harry followed orders and very loudly knocked on the door making Niall wince and wish he had added ‘softly’.

 

“Go on in Haz” Niall chuckled softly.

 

“Boo Bear” Harry called as he walked to where the lump that was Louis lay.

 

“Hey” Louis croaked and peeked through the cocoon where he had found comfort for the past few minutes. He wiped at his cheeks to clear away the tear tracks just leaving red eyes.

 

“I make card” Harry said rushing to give Louis the card he had colored with Zayn’s help.

 

“Oh did you?” Louis coughed to make his voice sound normal. He sat up and inspected the work of art that was thrust into his hands. “I love it so much Hazza Bear, I am going to put it right here so that I can see it every day” Louis placed the card on the night stand having to choke back emotion because it might be the only thing he will have left of his beloved Hazza.

 

“I make soup” Harry sat down against the headboard next to Louis.

 

“You made soup all by yourself did you?” Louis winked at Niall knowing he probably had something to do with it.

 

“Yes” Harry replied happily.

 

“Wow really? And what did I do exactly?” Niall asked setting the bowl of soup on the food tray on Louis night stand.

 

“Take soup” Harry shrugged making Louis smile.

 

“Well thank you both, but I am not hungry right now, I am pretty sure I will never be hungry again, food sucks” Louis said even though he was feeling considerably better.

 

“Aww are you delirious too?” Niall smirked putting a hand on Louis forehead.

“But I make for you” Harry pouted.

 

“I know, and I am sure it will still taste amazing a little later” Louis passed his hand through Harry’s hair.

 

“You no like?” Harry asked still pouting.

 

“I do like it babe, of course I do” Louis promised.

 

“But please Boo Bear, I love you” Harry pleaded mixing sugar and honey into his voice making it very hard to say no.

 

“Oh alright” Louis caved not being able to handle the pout and big green sad eyes he was receiving.

 

“You are getting soft in your old age Tommo” Niall laughed and place the food tray over Louis’ lap.

 

“Quiet you” Louis said reaching for the spoon that lay next to the bowl of what looked like potato and cauliflower.

 

“I give” Harry said taking the spoon before Louis could get to it.

 

“Hazza, I can feed myself love” Louis declared.

 

“I make Boo Bear better” Harry said not really giving Louis a choice in the matter.

 

“I figured you may need a bib” Niall chuckled and stuck a hand towel onto the front of Louis shirt basking in the glare he was receiving. “Alright Haz, make sure he eats everything and don’t mind me, I will quietly be filming this for future reference.” Niall laughed lying on Louis’ other side taking out his phone and switching on the video.

 

Harry straddled Louis legs for easier access. He bit his lip and very carefully scooped up some soup into the spoon.  Louis couldn’t help but smile at Harry’s determination. Surprisingly the soup made it into Louis waiting mouth without getting any on the duvet. It burned Louis’ mouth but he pretended he just needed to yawn and not cry from his tongue burning. The next bite didn’t actually make it into Louis’ mouth or the one after much to Niall’s joy.  Harry promised that it was the spoons fault not his. They had faulty spoons. By the time the bowl was empty half of it had made it onto Louis’ chest. But he couldn’t complain when Harry was glowing at having ‘successfully’ fed his Boo Bear.

 

“What is going on in here?” Zayn asked walking into the room with Liam trailing behind him. They had heard Niall cackling and needed to see what they were missing out on.

 

“Oh just here watching Harry feed Louis soup and give him second degree burns” Niall chuckled ruffling Harry’s hair. “I’ll show you the video later”

 

“Well aren’t you so helpful cupcake” Liam fussed dropping at the foot of the bed and watching Harry blush from the praise.

 

“Very helpful I feel so much better now” Louis smiled. Harry curled a finger in his hair very happy to be getting his service celebrated. Louis took off the shirt he was wearing that was now soaked with soup. He would eventually go take a shower but right now all he wanted was to cuddle with Haz as he listened to Zayn tell him about that time he actually met Iron Man.

 

He doesn’t remember when SpongeBob had been turned on but that was what he was hearing. Apparently he had fallen asleep because everyone but Harry was gone.

 

“Where did everyone go love?” Louis asked.

 

“LiLi say my Boo Bear need sleepy” Harry said distractedly making Louis assume that they guys were somewhere downstairs. Louis yawned and absentmindedly watched Harry laugh at something Patrick was doing or saying. He glanced at his window and was surprised at how dark it was outside. Even though he had just had a little nap he was already feeling like he could very much sleep until morning.

 

“Boo Bear go night night?” Harry asked turning around on the bed to look at the feathery haired boy who was in fact falling asleep on his very fluffy pillow.

 

“I am very sleepy lovely, come fall asleep with me” Louis replied letting his eyes close and opening his arms.

 

“Wait! Wait!” Harry exclaimed using his fingers to lift Louis eyelids.

 

“Ugh!, Harry that hurt” Louis rubbed his now throbbing eye and sat up. “What is it?”

 

“I get LiLi” Harry announced jumping off the bed.

 

“What for love?” Louis asked thoroughly confused.

 

“Read book” Harry replied before Louis could tell him that it was indubitably not necessary. He chuckled and flopped back forgetting that the pain in his head that had returned slightly. 

 

“So I hear that I need to read you a bedtime story” Liam walked into the room with the biggest smile on his face. Harry was hanging off his arm holding a book to his chest.

 

“Apparently” Louis said.

 

“I think we got a good read here” Liam informed positively giddy.

 

“Good” Harry agreed nodding his head excitedly.

 

“Well can’t wait to hear it I guess” Louis shrugged. Liam and Harry got on either side of Louis. “And how nice and claustrophobic.”

 

“You love it and you know it” Liam smiled sitting up and resting his upper body on the headboard. Harry snuggled up to Louis side laying his head under Louis’ chin.

 

“LiLi read” Harry reached his arm over and poked Liam’s leg.

 

“Okay, okay” Liam chuckled. “Tell Louis the title of the book you picked cupcake”

 

“Arthur “ Harry replied with that toothy smile they all loved.

 

“Arthur and what?” Liam prodded.

 

“Chicken pox” Harry pointed to the aardvark wrapped in a blanket and covered in red spots.

 

“Oh that sounds exciting” Louis played intrigue. “Why did you pick that one?”

 

“Boo Bear yucky” Harry glance at Louis and scrunched up his nose.

 

“OH I see” Louis kissed Harry’s forehead. “Because I am sick, good choice lovely”

 

“Alright” Liam opened to the first page letting Harry and ‘Louis’ scan the artwork before he began to read _“It was Monday morning, Arthur’s family was thinking about Saturday’s trip to the circus…”_

 

Louis did his best to listen to the story but having had read it to Harry himself a couple of a hundred times he lost interest after the bit about the circus. He was playing with Harry’s hair and watching Harry’s eyes full of excitement as if he hadn’t heard the story a billion times and didn’t know that Arthur was going to get sick.

 

Even though his head hurt and all he wanted to do was to go to sleep he was trying to mesmerize the face Harry was making. All full of glow and wonder. He needed to file that dimply smile in the section of his mind where all the happiness lived. He would need it in the coming days.

 

 

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

Niall likes to think that over the years he had mastered the art of patience. He was a pretty laid back lad anyway but years of being in confined spaces with his One Direction bandmates had really sharpened his skills. It didn’t just appear overnight either, he had to seriously exercise a certain degree of calmness and understanding when he was thrown into a band of diverse and sometimes unusual personalities.  

These talents came in handy whenever Louis and Zayn got bored and decided that nothing would be more entertaining than making Niall pee himself while fast asleep. They read somewhere that if you put an unsuspecting person’s hand into a cup of water they would suddenly lose all years of potty training and relieve their bladder all over themselves. It has never worked. They have never stopped trying. And Niall doesn’t even bother to tell them off because well, it would be funny if they actually pulled it off.

Patience was the only way Niall could deal with Liam and his lectures. The favorite being the importance of eating actual vegetables and not merely the olives that topped his pizza. Niall used to tell him to shove off but he has learned that Liam can’t help to impose his health beliefs on those he cares about. Apparently he wants him to live longer or something, so Niall lets him drone on in the background, usually while eating a pizza.

Niall had found that the years after One Direction was when he really flourished into his easy-going role. Especially on those days that Harry got rather talkative. Those were the days that Niall would have to really use his skills to get through the endless tales that started with bunnies and somehow ended with the unfairness of having to pick up toys. Of course he would never refuse to hear anything that Harry had to say so he just sat back and became interested in the countless ways that bunnies were cool.

At the moment Niall was sat in the backseat of Louis’ Land Rover losing some of that patience he had spent years acquiring.  No matter how many times he worked it out in his head, he had yet to figure out how the day got away from him.

He had plans, big plans. They included but were not limited to sleeping until noon and then possibly eating left over pizza for lunch. No in fact that was already written in stone. He just had to decide if he would call Zayn with a fake emergency so that he could bring him said pizza or if he would muster up enough energy to order a new cheesy pie. The possibilities were endless. A good and well deserved lazy Saturday.

For the past month he had been taking over Louis’ work at the record label. The four of them had split the work evenly between them but it seemed that Louis got stuck with the most tedious of tasks. If Niall never read another damn contract it would be too soon.

Obviously he didn’t resent Louis for taking time off of work to spend time with Harry. Niall just really thought he deserved a free day for all his hard work. Nothing was freer than sleeping the day away and eating pizza. It was a well thought out plan that should have been respected.

Louis evidently had other plans.

He came bursting into Niall’s room far too early for anyone other than Jesus to be functioning. He yanked and hollered for Niall to get his lazy arse up which Niall found rude considering he wasn’t the one trespassing.

After a confusing conversation about towels and sunblock lotion Niall gathered that the lads were waiting for him in the car for a day at the beach. Louis didn’t seem to give any sort of fucks that Niall had scheduled quality time with his bed as he practically threw him out his front door while still putting on swim trunks. Luckily it was too early for any of his neighbors to witness his humbling state.

Niall hummed absentmindedly from the backseat of the car watching the trees rush pass the window. The world was being soaked up by the rays of the sun and by the large amount of traffic on the motorway everyone was taking advantage of it.

Harry had fallen asleep almost immediately, getting bored of the book Liam was reading to him. He was clutching the Simba doll Niall had bought him to satisfy his recent obsession with The Lion King. Niall shifted closer to the middle seat when Harry’s head lolled from resting on Liam’s shoulder to his less comfy shoulder, mumbling something incomprehensible. Niall could have sworn he heard him say something about pineapples causing a chuckle to escape from the blonde trying to imagine what Harry could be dreaming about. Most likely something related to SpongeBob.

Liam and Zayn were both animatedly telling a story about some sort of adventure they had on a double date. Niall was sure he had heard it before but they looked too excited to inform them of that fact. Honestly he wasn’t even listening to them and they didn’t seem to notice.

Being so laid back also made him pretty observant. From where he was sitting he could see Louis’ gripping the steering wheel so hard he was surprised it was still in one piece. He glanced into the rear-view mirror and saw that Louis’ normally sensible blue eyes were full of an emotion that Niall was too afraid to recognize. That’s when he understood the real reason why he was woken up so early.

Louis didn’t necessarily hide his feelings about the coming custody hearing, it was absolute shit they all knew it. But even so Niall had an inkling feeling that sooner than later Louis was about to lose it and he was certain that they were on their way to that very moment.

“Are you even listening to the story Nialler?” Liam asked in an annoyed tone, appearing to have taken Niall’s lack of commentary to mean he wasn’t paying attention.

“I am going to be honest Li, barely knew you were here” Niall replied with a cheeky smile. Liam just shook his head probably questioning his friendship and continued his conversation with Zayn. Niall did the math in his head and realized that Louis had not said a word since he forced Niall out of his flat almost two hours ago. That was not normal at all.

“Hey guys, did you hear that story about that thing at work the other day” Niall interrupted Liam midsentence. Zayn hummed and turned around in his seat to peer at him through the space in the headrest.  Liam looked like he was about to scold him for bad manners but instead furrowed his eyebrows.

“What are you on about?” Liam asked.

“You know that thing that happened the other day” Niall said vaguely. He tilted his head forward towards Louis while trying not to move his right shoulder and disturb Harry’s slumber. Nothing had actually happened at work he was just trying to hint at the condition in which Louis was operating a vehicle.

“What are you doing?” Liam inquired at a loss of what Niall was trying to communicate.

“Ni, use your words” Zayn encouraged watching amused as Niall continued to motion to Louis, succeeding in looking like an injured seal.

“Zayn!” Niall whisper screamed putting a finger to his lips and trying to point stealthily to Louis. Eventually Liam and Zayn gathered that Niall wasn’t losing his mind and was truly trying to tell them something. Further investigation revealed that it was actually Louis that was in the process of losing his mind.

“Hey Lou, which beach are we going too exactly?” Liam asked wanting Louis to stop thinking whatever he was thinking and possibly blink. “I feel like we should have been there by now”

“Um…beach?” Louis replied with a shake of his head as if he had come back to his body.

“Yes beach, you know with the sand and water” Zayn said eyeing Louis' profile, looking slightly guilty that he hadn’t felt the lack of emotion that was radiating from him sooner.

“I am aware of what a beach is” Louis stated not taking his eyes off the road. “We aren’t going to the beach”

“Uh…ok, I wasn’t really paying attention to you when you dragged me out of my bed, my cozy and not crowded bed by the way, but I could have sworn you said something about going to the beach.” Niall said thoroughly confused.

“I lied” was Louis not helpful reply.

Zayn looked back at Liam and Niall sharing the same concerned look. Louis wasn’t one to lie. He didn’t need to lie. He wasn’t afraid to tell someone what’s what.  If he wanted something done he just said it and it would get done. The times he did lie was when you needed to get your things in order because shit was going to go down.

“Please tell me that you aren’t doing what we talked about the other day because that was all hypothetical and I wasn’t serious. We can’t do that. My tattoos are lies, I’d become someone’s bitch in the first five seconds once we got caught. And we will get caught, have you met Liam, can’t lie to save his life! We can’t do it!” Zayn rambled throwing his arms around wildly.

“Will you relax mate” Niall said calmly patting Zayn’s shoulder. “But uh Lou, don’t do whatever Zee is talking about, sounds dangerous maybe”

“We aren’t kidnapping Harry and leaving the country to live on a boat in the artic or whatever,” Louis clarified “though I did think about it…..”

“That does not make me feel any better” Zayn admitted. “Please let us into your world.”

“We were going to the beach but I just….” Louis shrugged. “I thought we needed a more memorable adventure”

“So then where are we going mate?” Liam asked as gently as he could not wanting to rock the metaphorical boat.

“Camping” Louis stated matter-of factly glancing in the rear-view mirror quickly before going back to gaze at the road.

“Camping” Zayn repeated. “You’ve essentially kidnapped us to go camping?”

“Pretty sure kidnapping is more frightening and like a tragedy” Louis stated lightly.

“Lou” Niall said softly prompting for more information.

“Brit thought it would be good for the five of us to have a last…to hang out or whatever. So she lent us her family’s cabin, it’s just a few more hours away” Louis answered. “… in Scotland”

“Scotland!” All three boys shouted accomplishing in waking up Harry, who sat up startled, eyes wide.

“I sleepy” Harry whined, annoyed at the disruption. He brought his Simba doll closer to his chest and closed his eyes leaning his head back.

“Sorry Haz, go back to sleep apparently Boo Bear has lost his mind and we are going to drive for eight hours to end up getting ticks” Niall mumbled laying Harry’s head back on his shoulder.

“He really didn’t say Scotland did he?” Niall asked skeptically.  Scotland was far too many hours away.

“’fraid so mate, looks pretty legit too” Zayn validated while observing Louis closely. “I suggest you sit back and relax Nialler”.

“But we are going to make it back for the hearing right Lou?” Liam asked just to make sure.

“Yea of course” Louis affirmed in a tone that did not reassure anyone.

By the time the sun had completed its tour for the day and dipped behind the horizon Niall had come up with over 100 ways to seize the steering wheel from Louis and end this lengthy and unnecessary journey. There were many cabins in England where they could have just as much fun and get better quality ticks.

Liam of course was a complete nuisance and wouldn’t allow him to ruin this trip for Louis, something about him ‘losing his shit’ stopped Niall from carrying out any of his well thought-out tactics.

Niall supposed he could understand the need for this escapade, he wanted to have some alone time with Harry too. But if he didn’t get out of the car soon he was the one that was going to lose his shit.

He had lost count of the number of rest stops and trees and cars they had passed in the last six hours. He just wanted out. And he loved Harry he did but if he heard “this silly ‘n stupid, go home” one more time he was seriously going to have to end his life. That statement triggered the ‘that’s not a very nice word’ lecture from Liam and then Zayn would begin a different lecture on different words that are nicer than stupid and Harry would agree before saying it an hour later and the cycle started all over again.

Worst of all Louis had continued to drive in silence after informing them that they would be camping in Scotland almost six hours ago. They had each tried to get him to take a break and let one of them drive but he refused claiming that they didn’t know how to get there. Even thought he was using a GPS himself. Niall was pretty sure that the older boy was in fact teetering at the edge of sanity and any disturbance would cause a rather ugly explosion.

It was completely dark when they finally drove through a gate with a large sign announcing that they were entering Camp Wild. There was a smaller sign underneath it notifying them that any cabin use was ‘at your own risk’. If that wasn’t creepy enough there didn’t seem to be anything other than trees, darkness and a dirt road for a whole three miles before Louis was stopping the car.

“We are here” Louis announced turning the key to shut off the car. The boys looked out the car window at an ominous looking cabin. The structure of the cabin seemed to sway in the breeze. Shingles hung off the roof, creating what could only be described as black icicles. The wooden columns on either side of the porch were crooked, deep cracks breaking through their rough and worn surface. Niall seriously doubted that it was going to remain standing upright through the night. It would have been more convenient to sleep in the car.

This was definitely the beginning to a low-budget horror film but Niall refrained from commenting for fear of being the person to set Louis off.

“Where is here exactly, all I see is a scary ass cabin in the middle of nowhere” Zayn pointed out taking the words right from Niall’s mouth.

“Scary” Harry repeated leaning into Liam who quietly reassured him that everyone was safe while smacking Zayn’s shoulder for not choosing his words more carefully.

“Its fine guys, a little darkness never hurt anybody” Louis stated turning off the headlights and jumping out of the driver’s seat. The headlights had been their only source of light and were now sitting in eerie darkness.

“Uh Seriously?! Have you not watched horror films?” Niall opened his door to shout at him.

“Okay, someone needs to talk to him, serious crazy eyes” Zayn said mostly to himself while unbuckling his seatbelt.

“By someone you mean me don’t you?” Liam asked stretching his sore muscles.

“Obviously” Zayn and Niall sang in unison making Liam roll his eyes playfully.  Zayn leaned to the back to poke Harry’s stomach when he claimed they were ‘silly’.

“I suggest we go help get the stuff inside quickly, don’t know when he will blow” Zayn suggested slipping on a jacket and sliding off the seat to help Louis in the back.

“Why would anyone come all the way to Scotland to use what I can only assume to be a haunted cabin?” Niall asked stretching out his back.

“I am just happy that we won’t be sleeping on the floor.” Liam yawned while helping Harry put on his jacket.

“Yea we just get to sleep in the company of ghost and ghouls” Niall scrunched up his nose before stepping out to lend a hand.

“Come on Haz, let’s go help” Liam instructed handing him his Simba doll after zipping up his jacket for him.

“No ghost” Harry shook his head not planning on ever leaving the safety of the car.

“NiNi was just being silly love, there are no ghosts or anything else out here” Liam tried to assure him. Harry looked passed Liam into the darkness and shook his head again because maybe LiLi wasn’t aware of it but there was definitely something out there.

“Niall! Come fix this” Liam hissed walking to the back mumbling phrases like ‘irresponsible twats’ and ‘think before you speak’.

“Hey, what’s wrong Haz? Niall asked popping up to the open door. “Aren’t you going to come help us?”

“You say ghost in little house NiNi” Harry replied pointing towards the cabin.

“Aww I am sorry Haz, I didn’t mean to scare you, I was only joking” Niall cooed pulling out his phone to turn on the flashlight app so there was some form of light. “There is nothing out here”

“Why dark?” Harry asked biting his lip, monsters lived in the darkness.

“That’s only because its night time love, you are with us and very, very safe. You can even hold my hand if you want” Niall soothed feeling increasingly guilty for scaring him in the first place.

“Safe” Harry repeated softly, visibly relaxing. He grasped Niall’s outstretched hand and let himself be lead to where the other lads where gathering their things, Simba doll held tight to his chest for extra protection.

“I really wish I would have known we were coming here, I only brought beach stuff” Zayn noted as he received yet another bag from Louis.

“All covered the girls helped with this little trip” Louis explained. “And Niall I had an extra key to your flat, so got everything we will need” he added before handing out the last bag and locking the car.

“You really put some thought into this” Liam acknowledged. “That scares me so very much”

“I just knew you guys wouldn’t want to drive for eight hours and Liam would be giving me grief about making it on time to the hearing. Can we just enjoy this please” Louis justified his voice breaking slightly towards the end.

“Yup, sorry, this is great Louis” Zayn replied quickly. “Now if you can just get rid of those crazy eyes I’ll be able to stop freaking out” he added for just Liam and Niall’s ears.

Louis turned around without another word, bags hanging off his arms and as far as the boys were concerned, crazy still very much lingering in his eyes. They followed him up the worn steps with Harry jumping at every mysterious sound.

While Louis retrieved the key from under the dusty ‘Welcome’ mat Niall poked Liam’s side with his elbow and mouthed to talk with Louis soon. If anyone could figure out what Louis' next move was, it was Liam. At the very least he would get him to like cry or thrown things potentially stopping any significant attacks.

When Louis finally found and flicked on the lights they were relieved that the inside of the cabin didn’t look as threating as the outside. It seemed to have been renovated recently which brought Niall great comfort. Not that he couldn’t hack it in an old, moldy, deteriorating cabin but Niall just liked his body free of ticks.

The kitchen was small but fully equipped with appliances that you wouldn’t even find in a normal flat. There was a small table for maybe four off the side of the kitchen that looked like it was built by a blind person. According to Zayn it was supposed to make a statement.  Niall wasn’t sure what statement a table would need to make seeing as he didn’t usually communicate with tables as much as Zayn obviously did.

Niall flopped down on the black couch in the living room that was unbelievably close to the kitchen not that he was complaining. Maybe he could salvage part of his lazy Saturday after all. He was slightly disappointed that there was a fireplace where there should have been a television. At least that’s where Niall would have put it. Britney clearly needed to consult with him about her decorating needs because this needed some work.

“Okay, so there is only one room but the sofa turns into a bed so we are going to have to share.” Louis informed moving around some of their bags putting them into piles.

“Not like we haven’t done it before” Zayn shrugged slumping into the chair at the table trying to recover from the long drive.

“Shall we make some dinner then” Liam suggested picking up some bags that held groceries.

“No! Liam is not allowed to cook we will be eating broccoli for days!” Niall yelled from the couch.

“Broccoli is delicious” Liam replied not at all offended used to Niall’s ban on health. He handed Louis some grocery bags and together they got to putting them away in random cabinets.

“Zaynie, I no like little house” Harry commented sitting on Zayn’s lap. He had explored some on the way to the bathroom and there was this weird smell and the possibility that there was a ghost in their midst gave him anxiety. He really missed his house that smelled like flowers and had no ghosts.

“It’s different from your house but I bet if you just give it some time you will like it” Zayn reassured rubbing his back.  

“Go home now” Harry requested.  They had been there for enough time in his mind.

“Stop being annoying Harry!” Louis snapped at him before Zayn could reply. “We just got here so behave unless you want to get in the biggest trouble of your life, understand?”

Harry gave Louis a tragic look then looked down at the Simba doll held protectively to his chest, biting his bottom lip. Louis stomped over to where he sat still on Zayn’s lap and forcefully grabbed his chin between his fingers jerking his head up. “Answer me, do you understand?” Louis asked again this time through gritted teeth.

“I be good” Harry promised lips wobbling. Zayn had to pry Louis’ hand away from Harry’s chin giving him a hard glare that only deepened when he saw redness in the shape of fingers left behind. Louis mumbled a ‘good’ and ripped the Simba doll from Harry’s arms taking it with him back into the kitchen. Niall, who had witnessed the interaction from the sofa leaped up when Louis had gone and helped Zayn calm the tears that were now flooding Harry’s cheeks.

It’s not like Harry never got in trouble. They have all had to scold him at one time or another, but because he had done something bad and deserved it, never because he was scared. There was no need for Louis to snap at him and basically be a right twat.

There was an outstandingly uncomfortable amount of tension that had fallen over the whole cabin. Harry’s eyes were red but he at least had stopped crying. He laid his head against Zayn’s chest and would repeat every so often ‘I be good’ to himself which was making Zayn’s jaw clench wanting to go and give Louis a couple good licks.  Niall was pretty upset himself but right now the most important thing was Harry. They could hear angry whispers coming from the kitchen and Niall decided now was the best time to find a distraction for Harry and leave Liam to fix whatever was going on.

“Hey Haz, why don’t we go outside with Zaynie and have a little adventure” Niall suggested leaning down to kiss Harry’s forehead.

“Too many dark” Harry hiccuped looking through the glass doors to the dark blanket that had fallen over the sky.

“We will make a fire Hazzy so it’s not so dark” Zayn added with his ever calming smile. Harry thought about it for half a second before agreeing with a nod.  Zayn stood Harry up and took his hand in his.

“Alright sounds good, our fist mission will be finding some wood” Niall said excitedly for Harry’s benefit. They left Liam to do whatever he needed to do to fix Louis and coaxed a very apprehensive Harry through the back door.

It was only around seven at night but at the moment it looked like it was around midnight. The sky was a magnificent deep blue and the stars twinkled brightly behind faint clouds that briskly flew by the big glowing moon.

The wind had picked up in the short amount of time that they were inside and the jackets they wore were too thin to truly protect them from it but there was no way they were going to go back inside that cabin anytime soon.

Niall lead them down the back steps passing an old bench and stopping to let Harry pick up some weeds he thought looked pretty enough to stick behind Zayn’s ear. Zayn would have told Harry that weeds belonged on the ground if he wasn't pleased that Harry was smiling and telling Zayn that he looked pretty.

They journeyed on the dirt road on the side of the cabin until they were deep inside the forest that was populated with lots of green. The trees danced as the wind whistled around disturbing the leaves. The light from the moon faded being cloaked by the gathering of the trees.

Harry became increasingly worried that monsters were waiting to jump out and destroy them so Niall turned on the flashlight app on his phone to brighten the area. Zayn followed suit and it did very little to lighten their surroundings. On any other night Niall wouldn't have gone looking for firewood when he couldn't see five feet in front of him in a forest he had never been in. Zayn certainly wouldn't have agreed to it either but they really wanted to properly distract Harry and what could really happen in the woods in Scotland.

They made some turns on their walk, Niall leading them while simultaneously picking up firewood whenever he managed to find some. Harry was meticulously sucking his thumb and holding Zayn’s hand but seemed a little more relaxed. Especially after Zayn promised him that he would never let anything happen to him and he for sure wasn’t going to let any monsters get them because he was Zaynie after all. The official intimidator of all monsters.

Niall glanced at his quickly dying phone and sighed when they had only been walking for twenty minutes. It wasn't much of an adventure really, they were essentially just walking in the dark. Still is was nice to look up and see stars and the moon and breathe in clean air. They rarely ever experienced such niceties out in big pollution filled London.

Niall smiled as he heard Harry asking Zayn about the little lights in the sky – ‘Stars’ Zayn corrected him and then Harry wanted to know if those are the same stars that Mufasa or ‘Mufu’ as he calls the father lion, lives in. He can’t help the swell of his chest when Zayn tells him that no Mufasa lives in the stars in Africa with the real Simba and Harry innocently declares that they should move to Africa because he has to play with Simba and Mr. Piggy.

Zayn says ‘maybe one day’ and Niall can only pray that one day they can actually take Harry to Africa or Arabia or wherever his heart desires. He would kill to not have to take a seven hour flight for the slight chance that they would even be allowed to see Harry, which wasn't likely since Des was a right dick if Niall was being honest.

“Um, Ni” Zayn called, a few steps behind him.

“Yea” Niall replied looking around the area trying to come up with an acceptable adventure to have. Maybe they could have a quick game of hide and go seek.

“Let’s go back yeah? We can just burn the wood we have” Zayn proposed after noticing that Harry was getting more anxious the deeper into the woods they went.

“We only have two sticks, barely can classify that as wood mate” Niall said holding up the two pathetic pieces of rotting wood in his hands. “Besides, there is still an adventure to be had, right Haz?”

“I scared” Harry replied with a slight tremor to his voice.

“Aw come on Haz, nothing to be scared of love, we got Zaynie here to protect us” Niall tried coaxing him on his side.

“We are still safe love” Zayn agreed. “Although I do think we should be heading back now Nialler, can't really do much if we can't see”

“So much negativity” Niall accused “But oh alright I guess we have enough wood and we could always have an fun on the way back”

Committed to having an adventure and giving Liam enough time to sort Louis out, Niall took a turn to the right instead of just turning around and going back the way they came. He figured that there should be some sort of trail for them to travel on, all forests had trails. The fact that their IPhones had died long ago taking all forms of artificial light and just leaving a miniscule amount of glow from the moon that managed to peek through the trees was just a minor obstacle.

 A few minutes later Niall was leading them into a meadow that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was a large grassland littered with purple little flowers and no trees. If it was morning it would be a good place to play some football or frolic. They frolicked sometimes.

“Niall, I don't remember this field, you do know how to get back right?” Zayn questioned trying to keep Harry from wandering, wanting to pick up one of the purple flowers that grew from the ground.

“Um…you mean you weren't keeping track” Niall said glancing ahead taking in the field.

“Niall” Zayn cried bumping into Niall’s back. He had assumed Niall was aware of where they were going since he was focused on Harry. While Zayn roughly turned Niall around Harry took the opportunity to bend over and pick up some flowers  sticking them one by one into Zayn’s quiff.

“Relax Zee, I was joking” Niall said trying not to chuckle at the flowers Zayn still hadn't realized were now adorning his head. “No worries, we are not at all lost, nope not I”

“Lost?” Harry inquired dropping the last flower at his feet not having understood the last part of the dialogue.

“Nope we are not lost, right Ni?” Zayn said glaring at the back of Niall’s head, who had turned to further investigate their location.

“I never get lost.” Niall assured. “Irish and all that”

“Back to little house” Harry requested pointing behind them.

“We are going back Haz, just have to cross this field and the cabin or little house will be on the other side, I am just taking a shortcut” Niall promised beginning to walk again even though he wasn't sure that he was heading in the right direction.

“How would you know a shortcut, you have never been here” Zayn fumed, grabbing Harry’s hand again and following Niall despite his better judgment.

“So you lead the way then” Niall suggested secretly hoping that he did because he really had no idea where he was guiding them.

“I have never been here either Ni” Zayn hissed. He wasn't necessarily afraid of the dark but he really didn't want to spend any more time there. Because of Harry not because he was beginning to imagine all the creatures that could eat them without breaking a sweat. “Will you please just get us back Niall!”

“It okay, NiNi no lost, flower make Zaynie happy” Harry comforted sensing that his Zaynie was getting scared. He patted Zayn’s head coarsely making Zayn smile despite himself. The flowers that had been previously wedged into his hair fell down easing the atmosphere for a moment.

 “If you two are done with your little hippie flower dance, let’s get back to the cabin shall we” Niall winked giving Harry a soft poke. Zayn rolled his eyes and pulled Harry closer to him and put their safety in Niall’s hands once again.

Niall stopped to stick his index finger in the air. He wasn't completely sure why but he saw people do it in the movies and they always seemed to find their way back to wherever they needed to go. He had the faith.

His main priority was not to worry Harry and also not to turn Zayn into a murderer. He would so be dead if he didn't get them back soon. This was so not how the day was supposed to go.

He really wished that trees didn't all look the same or that he was tall enough to see past them. Or maybe he shouldn't have suggested to go walking into the woods in the dark. Really this was Louis fault for being all weird but he figured he already had enough on his plate so he would valiantly take this one.

“So Nialler, remember a few minutes ago when I asked you if we were lost and you said no, I never get lost…” Zayn reminded hit with the tone he used right before he began to shout.

“Hey Harry, let’s play a game” Niall interrupted whatever Zayn was planning on saying deciding that talking to Harry was safer for his life. “Let’s see who can count the most stars!”

 “Lots” Harry looked up at the starry sky not sure where to even start counting the little pretty lights.

“That has got to be the worst game Nialler” Zayn stated with a sigh. “How about we play, let’s get out of the damn woods before a coyote eats us” he added in a panicked whisper.

“The coyotes don't come all the way to Scotland” Niall said looking both ways, hands on his hips. "Right?”

“Niall” Zayn warned.

“Will you relax Zee, I know exactly where we are” Niall assured. “Just have to follow the North Star.”

“Do you even know where that is?” Zayn asked skeptically looking at the sky.

“Of course, I am Irish mate we know the north star, the north star follows me everywhere I go because I am the boss of the north star” Niall said securely.

“Where is it then?” Zayn tested.

 “You are just so full of questions tonight, my adventures don’t have questions shut it” Niall said turning away from Zayn. “Let’s go this way”

Niall began the trek again through the meadow with Zayn and Harry following a few steps behind. A nearby noise made Harry stop and tug his hand free from Zayn’s grasp.

“Haz, I need you to hold my hand” Zayn said pulling on Niall’s shirt to stop him from going any further.

“Doggy” Harry whispered into the dark.

“What was that love?” Zayn asked looking to where Harry eyes were surveying.

“Doggy” Harry pointed happily and Zayn tried not to holler when he saw two eyes looking back at him.

“Oh my god” Zayn shrieked instantly regretting his life’s choices. He hauled Harry behind him and grabbed Niall’s forearm tightly.

 “What the hell mate?!” Niall winced trying to think of what he could have possibly done wrong in the past ten seconds to deserve such pain.

“Do you see the doggy staring at us looking ravenous my very dead friend” Zayn whispered frantically his heart trying to escape from his chest.

“Oh bloody shit cakes” Niall hollered covering up Harry’s innocent ‘nice doggie’. “Okay, okay Zayn take Harry and very, very slowly back away.”

“What about you?” Zayn questioned keeping his eyes on what was in fact a wolf. A hungry looking wolf.  “We can't leave you”

“I'll be right behind you, just go now!” Niall urged as the wolf stepped from behind some trees.  It stood majestically on all fours, its yellow slit-eyes boring into the trio taking away all of Niall’s hope that it hadn’t seen them. It’s grey fur blew in the wind making it seem bigger than it actually was.

The wolf took another step towards them and Niall pushed urgently at Zayn who was still frozen next to him. The large animal raised its thin lips and growled in warning. Then a loud, piercing sound came from its muzzle carrying panic through the woods.

“ZAYN! GO NOW!” Niall bellowed pushing Zayn harder to get him moving. Harry was not sure what all the yelling was about but NiNi didn't usually get scared so whatever was happening must have been serious and that worried a whole lot.

Zayn hesitated for a second before slowly ordering Harry to walk backwards. Harry didn't understand why Zayn wanted to play a game when Niall was clearly afraid of something, he guessed it was the pretty doggy that scared him.

Harry shrugged and followed Zayn as best as he could. When they reached the edge of the field Zayn instructed Harry to turn around and run really fast. When they were a good ways away Zayn put his hand out to stop Harry.

“Alright babe we are going to just wait here for NiNi” Zayn told Harry clutching a hand to his chest trying to catch his breath. Harry flopped down on the ground next to where Zayn was crouched.

“Why run?” Harry questioned not having as much trouble breathing as Zayn.

“Um…we are playing a good ole game of hide and seek” Zayn replied thinking it was a better explanation than ‘we are running because that pretty doggy wants to eat us’.

“NiNi play?” Harry asked wondering why Niall hadn’t run with them.

“Uh, yea he is on the doggy’s team” Zayn lied. Maybe it wasn't his best idea to shelter Harry but he really didn't think Harry would comprehend that they left Niall with a hungry wolf.

It felt like hours ticked by as Zayn and Harry waited for blonde locks to come running towards them. If Zayn wasn't worried of running into a pack of wolves with Harry he would have gone back to find Niall. Hopefully, a Niall that had not become dinner to a wolf or coyote or doggy or whatever else lived in the darkness.

 “Zaynie, NiNi come now?” Harry asked biting his nail. The darkness was surrounding them heavily and Harry was having a hard time not worrying where the blonde had gone to. He never played a game of hide and seek that lasted so long.

“I am sure he is on his way love, we just need to wait a little bit longer bub” Zayn assured, gnawing on his own fingers. He couldn't get the image of a group of wolves huddled around Niall’s lifeless body.  He passed a rough hand down his face and stood up pacing in the little area they had been waiting in.

“NiNi lost” Harry stated rather rationally.

“No buddy he is not lost” Zayn lied trying to keep his cool because there was an actual wolf that may or may not be eating Niall at that very moment.

“Yes, yes” Harry nodded getting tearful. Only bad things happened in the dark and NiNi was alone without Zaynie and Zaynie was the one who kept the monsters away. They really shouldn't have been playing hide and seek in the dark. “Look for NiNi” he added bravely, standing up to head in the direction they had last seen Niall.

“No love, we can't go that way, Niall’s okay, he is” Zayn said even though the fact that his voice broke was not very convincing. He held Harry around his chest to keep him rooted in front of him.

“Zaynie find NiNi” Harry stomped urgently. Zayn was going to try to reassure Harry once again but the look of utter terror he was receiving was too much. If he was being honest he needed someone to reassure himself. Harry was right they needed to find Niall.

“Okay, Okay we are going to find NiNi but any doggies that we see are not our friends” Zayn instructed grabbing Harry’s hand and making sure he was behind him. They walked slowly back towards the meadow they had just come from. Zayn liked the fact that he couldn't hear screaming or any sounds that meant Niall was being eaten alive by a pack of wolves.

They made it back to the clearing they had last seen Niall but were disappointed to find it only held purple flowers and grass but no Nialler.

“NiNi!!” Harry hollered frantically getting out of Zayn’s hold and imitating a megaphone with his hands.

“Ssh! We don't want to attract any doggys or any other animals that will eat us” Zayn pleaded not worried about scary Harry anymore and just wanting to make it back to the cabin in one piece.

“NiNi please come!!!” Harry shouted again ignoring Zayn completely.

“Haz stop screaming now!” Zayn snapped really not wanting the wolves to descend.

“But NiNi lost ‘n ‘lone” Harry justified with a frown.

“We will find him but quietly okay, no screaming” Zayn ordered seizing Harry’s hand again and looking in the opposite direction for Niall’s whereabouts.

“NiNi!” Harry screamed but in a whisper.

Zayn froze when he heard branches breaking around them.  Thinking that they were about to be confronted by a horde of gluttonous wolves he forcefully tugged Harry further away from where they had come from.

“Haz come on let’s get out of the field and hide behind a tree” Zayn ordered. Harry had other ideas and ripped his hand from Zayn’s hold and planted himself on the ground in the middle of the field, arms crossed and determination etched on his face.

“Harry please get up, we need to hide” Zayn urged pulling at Harry’s arms.

“No, I wait, NiNi come” Harry shook his head.

“Harry please, we won't go far” Zayn promised. The sounds of branches being snapped were getting closer and Zayn’s heart was beginning to beat recklessly. At this rate he was going to end up getting a bloody heart attack.

“No” Harry yelled angrily.

“Harry, If you don’t get up by the time I count to three you are going to get into so much trouble when we get back” Zayn warned as sternly as he could. Harry replied by sticking out his tongue and knitting his eyebrows.

“One” Zayn began, hands on his hips. Harry glared with pursed lips.

“Two” Zayn said after a few seconds.

“No count” Harry pleaded losing his resolve quickly. He didn't really want to get in trouble.

“You better get up then” Zayn advised. Harry let out a long sigh as he rose to his feet. Zayn chose a random direction before grabbing Harry’s hand and walked towards what he hoped was safety. Just before they went to step out of the meadow familiar blonde locks came running at them.

“Niall!!” Zayn yelled in surprise mixed with relief. Harry tore himself from Zayn’s grasp and ran to him immediately pressing him into his chest repeating ‘NiNi no lost, NiNi no lost”

“Finally” Niall breathed holding onto Harry and adding Zayn to the embrace.

“What happened to you?” Zayn asked when he let go. He stepped back to inspect that Niall had all his limbs in their proper place. He was thankful that aside from a few bloody scrapes and ripped jeans everything seemed intact.

“I read somewhere that if you make loud noises and run all crazy towards a wolf they would get scared, so I moved all crazy and threw the firewood at it” Niall explained moving Harry to his side. “Turns out that was crap and the wolf wanted to play before dinner so I ran bro, I ran as fast I could.

“Are you trying to tell me that you out ran a wolf?” Zayn asked in disbelief.

“Are you kidding? Hell no, I climbed a tree and it got bored and then a bunny came by and saved my life.” Niall said wiping sweat off his forehead with his shirt.

“NiNi Safe” Harry stated happily giving him a kiss on the side of his head.

“A bunny? A bunny saved you” Zayn shook his head. Like Seriously?  “I can't even…”

“That bunny is a hero and doesn't even know it, it will go down in the books for its heroic sacrifice” Niall said sincerely laying a hand over his heart wishing the bunny peace.

 “That is some Irish luck you have there Nialler, seriously” Zayn stated putting his arm over his personal little lucky leprechaun and giving him a big kiss for not actually getting eaten by a wolf.

 “Go little house now?” Harry asked very much ready for this adventure to end.

“Yes, we will just follow that North Star right Nialler?” Zayn agreed squeezing Harry’s shoulder.

“Um about that, turns out that what I thought was the North Star was actually just the moon and that sucker is everywhere” Niall admitted sheepishly.

“Oh my god” Zayn face palmed, why he thought following Niall into the forest was a good idea he hadn’t figured out yet. “I am taking over this, come on”

They walked through the field for hopefully the last time this time Zayn taking the lead. He went with his gut and made a few turns in what he prayed was the right direction. A few sweaty foreheads and dirty knees later they were staggering out of the forest and into the same dirt road they had taken earlier that night.

“Little house” Harry said merrily pointing at the cabin when it finally appeared in front of them.

“Thank God!” Niall exclaimed falling to his knees dramatically tossing his arms to the heavens.  Harry kneeled next to Niall laughing at his antics while Zayn fell face first onto the ground completely exhausted after losing all the adrenaline now that they were safe.

“Where the hell have you guys been?!” Louis demanded rising from the steps when he saw them emerge from the trees. Liam followed him holding a hand to his heart absolutely relieved they were safe and not in the number of places Liam had pictured them in. One of them including the belly of a some wild animal.

“We may have gotten a little turned around” Niall shrugged sheepishly. He stood up, Harry and Zayn following suit preparing for a lecture. “But look, firewood” he added holding up what was actually two skinny tree branches he grabbed before stepping out of woods since he lost the original firewood in the whole running for their lives thing.

“You guys are filthy are you okay?” Louis asked going to hug Harry but stopping when said boy stepped behind Zayn looking fearful of him. In the haste of the night they had forgotten about the incident that lead to the escapade through the woods in the first place. Clearly Harry had better memory than they gave him credit for. Louis withdrew his arm to his side looking to the other boys for help. They each looked in different directions letting the awkwardness settle.

“Hazza Bear” Louis said feeling pained that he made his Hazza scared of him. “I am so sorry for being mean to you babe, I am so stupid Hazza and you are so very good”

“Boo Bear no stupid” Harry replied immediately. His LiLi said 'stupid' was not nice and his Boo Bear said he was sorry for being mean so he was nice and not stupid. He stepped from around Zayn and up to Louis hugging him around his shoulders.

“Can you ever forgive me sweetheart?” Louis requested pulling back.

“Yes, Boo Bear nice” Harry nodded falling into Louis opened arms. Zayn, Niall and Liam all looked at each other before letting out the highest squeal to date.

“You guys are idiots” Louis rolled his eyes playfully with the biggest grin on his face.

“You love us” Liam beamed. “Now let’s go inside so you can tell us exactly why you guys look like you were in an action film.

“Play with doggie” Harry informed innocently as they walked back towards the cabin.

“You found a doggie in the-“Louis stop to glare and Zayn and Niall having a feeling that Harry wasn't talking about a house pet. “What kind of dog is there in the woods?”

“Oh you know the kind that you see in the movies” Zayn hinted shrugging off the glare.

“Okay, before anyone blows a gasket, we just went for a walk no biggie” Niall clarifies elbowing Zayn when he opened his mouth most likely to throw him under the bus.

“NiNi lost” Harry said with a pout remembering the scare.

“Yes we were lost, but look we made it back.” Niall said making a grand gesture with his hand toward the cabin.

“I am going to take Harry to have a shower and find out what actually happened” Louis huffed walking ahead of them with Harry still attached to him, filling him in on the adventure of the night.

“So are you going to tell me what happened or…?” Liam prods once they are all seated on the couch in the living room. He is sitting next to Niall while Zayn is lounging on the other side feet on Niall’s lap.

“Okay fine, so we almost got eaten by a wolf because I got us lost okay God!” Niall yelled throwing his arms in the air.

“A wolf?” Liam asked not believing that the howling they had heard was to alert other wolves of the discovery of delicious human meat lost in the woods “Seriously, a wolf”

“I wouldn’t believe it either if I didn't see it there drooling at us” Zayn shuddered at the memory.

“And Harry thought it was a dog?” Liam asked sounding a mixture of amused and skeptical.

“Yea and that we were playing hide and go seek” Zayn clarified. “It was crazy”

 “I would like to note that it was because of my quick thinking that we are even sitting here right now” Niall said tousling Liam’s hair just because it was accessible.

“Don't you mean because you let a bunny get sacrificed for you” Zayn commented and only laughed when Niall slapped the back of his head.

“I saved us and this is the thanks I get?” Niall asked in disbelief.

“Yes Thank you Nialler for our deadly walk through the bloody woods” Zayn saluted sarcastically.

“You are very welcome” Niall grinned accepting the pillows that were thrown his way.

“Louis is going to kill you guys” Liam chuckled.

“I think that Louis is reasonable and will focus on the fact that we made it back alive” Zayn assured hoping he is right because Louis can hit really hard. Although he would be sure that Niall got the brunt of it since it was his fault.

“If not, I can always take him on an adven-“ Niall mouth was quickly shut by Zayn’s hand.

“You are never allowed to lead an adventure ever again” Zayn proclaimed firmly. “Ever! not even in London”

“We wouldn't have made it back without me so” Niall replied.

“It was by pure luck that we made it back and you know it” Zayn stated. “You were following the north star before realizing that it was the moon.”

“Li, you know I am an excellent leader right” Niall turned to Liam for assistance.

“You can definitely lead a horse to water” Liam nodded. “before then leading it off a cliff” he added cheekily.

“I am hurt to call you lot my friends” Niall pouted. “Where is the Love?”

“Don't pout oh great leader of adventure and magnificence.” Zayn poked Niall’s cheek.

“Oh a big fuck you to you” Niall said with a lifted finger.

“Maybe you aren't a leader but you sure are cute” Liam smiled pinching Niall’s cheek.

“and another fu---“

“Hey Hazza” Zayn greeted loudly stopping Niall from finishing his sailorish statement.

“Hi” Harry smiled standing under the doorway in his favorite SpongeBob pajama bottoms and Patrick top. He rubbed his eye with one hand before Niall found himself with a lap full of Harry.

“oomph—Why hello there buddy” Niall greeted letting Harry adjust himself and find solace in his neck. Niall didn't think he was too comfortable seeing as Harry was much taller than him but somehow he found a position he liked.

“Haz needed a cuddle and apparently mine was just no good” Louis smirked standing behind the couch they sat on passing his hand through Harry’s curls.

 “Aww you needed a cuddle? And from me? What an honor, you never want to cuddle with me” Niall stated holding Harry tighter and feeling the familiar swell in his chest he felt whenever Harry did basically anything.

“Love NiNi” Harry commented sticking his head up looking at the blonde very seriously before going back to his neck.

“That was the most serious declaration of love I have ever witnessed” Liam laughed bopping Harry’s nose, who scrunched it up afterward.

“I am slightly jealous” Louis said.

“As you should be” Niall stuck his tongue out at him from around Harry’s curls.

“By the way, we are going to have a little discussion later about this doggie that played hide and seek with you all, don't leave the country” Louis said firmly digging his thick fingers into Niall and Zayn’s shoulders.

“Ow, it was all Niall's fault” Zayn said swatting at Louis' hands until he recoiled .

“Zayn! I thought we were a band of brothers” Niall said indignantly through Harrys frame. “Always and forever mate”

“I have no such loyalties with you “ Zayn laughed at Niall’s pout. Louis released Niall deciding for a bigger punishment later and lounged on the carpeted floor at their feet.

“One day I am going to leave and you will all be sad.” Niall claimed theatrically.

“I go with NiNi” Harry stated. “NiNi fun” he added and kissed Niall’s cheek.

“That’s right me and Haz will  go and become jetsetters and just laugh and laugh” Niall smiled his heart swelling for like the tenth time that day. He was certain it was going to burst if Harry didn't stop being so adorable. He was literally going to kill him.

“’n Boo Bear, ‘n LiLi, n’ Zaynie” Harry pointed to each boy as he said their name as if to make sure that they wouldn’t be forgotten.

“Okay yea, I guess they can come have a laugh too” Niall conceded sticking his face into Harry’s quickly drying yet slightly wet hair and closed his eyes. He was immersed in the Strawberry scent reveling in the lazy conversation around him. The day was so draining and not at all what he had expected but he would do it all again for just this moment. Where there were no tears and no worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to note that I am pretty sure wolves would shy away from humans before trying to eat them, I don't know if London has alot of pollution and also I love Scotland and I am pretty sure the real Niall does too;)  
> I am sorry it’s so long between updates. I am halfway done with the next chapter so hopefully it won't be so long before the next part. Thanks for reading and I wouldn't even be mad if you left a little comment or anything. Love you all! Xx
> 
> P.s. as always sorry for any grammatical mistakes.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Harry and his favorite boys in a day of silliness.

Harry was very unhappy.

The list of things causing his mood to swiftly spiral downward had grown as the night wore on. They were wrapping around his aura, leaving him in a funk.

The anxiousness he had felt when they reached the scary cabin had crept into his dreams, waking him up before anyone else. He hoped morning was on its way but only had Liam and Louis’ closed eyes as sign that it was still very much sleepy time. That meant that he was left alone to solve the mystery of when the night would finally drift away.

He tried to fall back asleep, even counted to twenty with his eyes shut tightly but his restlessness was not allowing his body to use sleep as a distraction. Not that he minded that bit exactly. He didn’t actually want to sleep. He wanted to be doing something, anything that got him from under the scratchy blanket that had been doing nothing but adding to his misery.

The only source of entertainment had been Louis’ rather musical snores. They had inspired the most robust air drum he was sure would make Niall proud. However, the moment the snores began to mimic a dying elephant, it just got sad and Harry was forced to retire from his imaginary band. Even the little spider that had been making a home on the ceiling directly above him had the freedom to discover all the corners of the room. He however, was stuck.

Stuck between two humdrum sleeping bodies that no amount of loud sighing could wake. Stuck indoors, in a too warm cabin on an incredibly boring bed with the scratchiest blanket ever covering him. And also what kind of bed didn’t have a steering wheel? Big design flaw, honestly.

He was especially jealous because he could hear the outside begin to wake up and he was still stuck in the exact same place he had been all night. With no discernible recreational activities on the horizon, leaving him no other choice but to stare at the grey spot above him, willing it to turn into something exciting. Like the clouds did when Louis took him out to the back garden on a sunny day and they lay on the grass. The fluffy, puffs of white always transformed into the most fun things before his very eyes.

Of course he was very aware that the lackluster stain would remain as it was because he wasn’t outside with Louis, lying on his back on the very green grass being warmed by the too yellow sun. No, he was wedged between boredom and a crazy place.

Of all the things that were irritating him, the grey spot annoyed him the most. If it had been a blue spot that could easily turn into a dolphin or a yellow spot that resembled SpongeBob he might not be so upset. But the shapeless, disgrace of a stain just had to be grey. The most inconsequential color if you asked Harry. A fact he could say assuredly because he knew all about colors. He had a plethora of drawings displayed on the refrigerator back home as proof to his artistry.

Nothing good could be said of the dust like shade. It was the color of the sky when Louis refused to take him to the swings. It was the color of hair of the mean man at the end of the street that yelled at him that one time for taking some pretty flowers from the front garden. And it was the only crayon he had yet to work out how to incorporate into any of his vibrant illustrations, forever untouched in his box of sixty four.

He absolutely hated the color and Harry hated very little. His LiLi always told him that hating anything was not very nice and Harry always tried his best to be the nicest. However that particular morning the color grey joined broccoli and naps on the short list of all the things he could live without.

He wanted nothing more than to find something with an assortment of color so vibrant the fact that time seemed to be at a standstill wouldn’t matter. However, as luck would have it he was still locked in a warm, prison of arms with the command to stay nestled under the covers unless one of the boys was a wake. As much as he loved their cuddles it was rather maddening because now he was hot, trapped, and extremely agitated.

At this point he wouldn’t even mind sitting next to Louis while he read boring words on boring paper because at least they always got ice cream after. The only thing he was getting now was a stiff neck. This was beginning to be a no good very bad day.

Harry heaved the saddest sigh he could muster, a pout settling on his pink lips. Roughly he removed all unwanted limbs from around his torso hoping the action would arouse the sleeping boys wrapped around him. Unfortunately he only got nonsensical noises for his efforts.

He was about to resort to shouting his unhappiness when he noticed the dull grey spot he had been in engrossed in for far too long had become illuminated by the miniscule amount of sunlight that was filtering into the room. The light swiftly stirred an array of positive emotion to flow through his body because morning had finally decided to arrive and that meant it was time to get up.

Naturally he was the only one too notice, the others still submerged in their respective dreams. Harry considered simply asking the two sleeping figures to wake up but the last time he had woken up Louis he had to spend far too many minutes on the time out wall. Apparently, ‘throwing trucks on someone’s head while they are sleeping is not nice’. So instead Harry settled for humming while he waited for someone to decide to stop being annoying and wake up all on their own.

Harry rolled his head from side to side jamming along to the last melody he heard before his head hit the pillow. It was the most fun night he could remember having in a long time. Significantly far more fun than he was having at the moment.

After the woods escapade with Niall, Zayn and the cutest doggie ever, Harry was too afraid to go sleep. Especially after remembering the monsters Niall claimed to be housed in the dark, smelly cabin. He couldn’t be sure they weren’t going to eat his toes while he slept. It was a mean thing that monsters did. Luckily his Zaynie had conjured up his special ‘monster go away’ spray (one part water, two parts love). Zayn daringly went through the whole cabin making sure the monsters wouldn’t emerge from their homes, ending their fiendish toe eating exploits. Harry was eternally grateful and had big plans to draw Zayn the most colorful picture in way of gratitude.

While Zayn handled the monster problem Harry was treated to an impromptu musical performance or as Louis put it ‘the greatest show on earth’. It was full of lion roars and monkey hoots with the occasional bird call. Harry genuinely thought it was the coolest show he had ever seen. He clapped along from the middle of the bed, his Simba doll settled in between his legs and the most delighted grin on his face while Liam and Louis pranced around the room singing every single song from the Lion King. Niall sat next to Harry with the shitty guitar he found gathering dust in a closet. His job was to provide the background music even though he was laughing more than he was strumming. It didn’t take very long for Harry to completely forget about the monsters and fall into a dream full of happy things.

“Mmh…Harry, go back to sleep it’s too early” Louis mumbled still very much relishing in his sleep haze. Harry quickly stopped humming because he was nothing if not a good listener. Unfortunately the last thing he wanted to do was sleep.

Now that humming was not an option Harry turned his head to regard the window on the other side of the room. The curtains were pushed apart giving Harry a perfect view of all he was missing.

The moon was completely gone now the sun taking its place, making all the green it touched sparkle. The cabin was constructed on top of a small hill allowing the lake in the distance to be seen from where Harry laid. It looked extra blue and shimmery from where the sun left its mark. Small ripples formed as the morning wind swept through it making Harry need to go swimming at some point that day. On the edge of the window he could see the once intimidating woods. Gone were the mysterious, spooky shadows. All he could see now where all the possibilities the sun-up had to offer. It would seem as if his next move was already made for him.

It was time to explore.

The only foreseeable setback would be getting outside without anyone being the wiser, primarily since he wasn’t actually allowed outside alone. If anyone asked he would pledge that he simply didn’t want to be a bother since everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their sleep. Though if he was being frank, they were in a new place and with the previous night’s adventure long forgotten Harry could not be held responsible for wanting to explore.

Plus, Harry knew that if he woke the lads up they would want to do time consuming things like eat breakfast and shower. They might not even want to go exploring opting to do something utterly boring like take a nap. He would not be able to live through that. The only clear option was to roam the outside on his own.

One more glance at the grey spot above him made up his mind. He sat up slowly releasing a loud yawn as he did so, forgetting that he needed to be quiet if he was going to keep the distractions to a minimum.

He tensed when both Louis and Liam grunted, thinking that they were going to wake up and ruin his plans. Fortunately they only slurred variations of ‘go to sleep’ and ‘please be quiet’. Liam going as far as too cover Harry’s mouth with his hand and pushing him down onto his back. Harry frowned because that was a bit rude but he reasoned that he could discuss manners with his LiLi after his adventure.

Harry gently lifted Liam’s hand away from his mouth and dropped it to his side. He sat up again this time making sure to not make a sound as to not arouse anyone that would jeopardize the morning’s prospects.

He looked down to his right where Liam appeared to have returned to a deep sleep and then to his left where Louis was snoring softly, justifying all his choices up to that point. Carefully and quite majestically he maneuvered himself from the warmth of the covers and stepped onto the old wooden floor. He was going to put on some ‘acceptable’ clothes but he would be damned if his SpongeBob pajama pants and Patrick t-shirt weren’t adequate explorer attire. He did slip on his converse that lay by the door before creeping into the hallway.

He stopped by the table to study the clock that was hung on the wall. Regrettably, the day his school teacher taught his class about clocks was the same day Harry was playing with his new little car. Hiding it under the table took a lot of concentration so he couldn’t be sure what time it was. He figured it was still early because it was very quiet throughout the whole cabin. The time wasn’t really an influential factor though because the sun was awake and everyone was being lazy and not the dedicated explorer he was.

Harry tiptoed past the sleeper sofa where Niall and Zayn were in various degrees of sleep. Niall drooling from the side of his mouth on his back with the covers pushed off him and a leg thrown over the lump that he assumed was Zayn. For a fleeting moment he thought about waking them since they were the easiest to get on his side. But he already had it in his mind that he could only explore by himself, so he continued on his mission.

He put an index finger to his lips like he learned to do in school when his teacher told his class that there was to be no talking. It was very helpful in staying quiet when he wanted nothing more than to tell his friend Maggie about his new toy. Very carefully, he turned the lock on the door holding his breath in preparation to cross the threshold to freedom. Seconds later he was standing at the bottom of the steps determining which path needed his most urgent attention.

The woods spread out in front of him looking quite enticing with colorful birds swooping from tree to tree. If he hadn’t already been there the night before, he would have gone again. A few paces to his right the lake still looked very blue and very tempting but he wasn’t wearing swim trunks and thought it would be silly to go in with his pajama bottoms.

He realized quickly that those were really his only two options, unless of course he wanted to climb a tree or splash in a puddle. He did not. At least not without Niall, those were his areas of expertise.

His shoulders sagged from disappointment and the waste of energy. He thought maybe he could go back inside before anyone figured out he had disobeyed and possibly save himself from a very long time out. Harry had barely turned to head back inside when a shadow passed behind him. He whipped his head for further investigation and about died when he saw that the shadow belonged to the most darling little grey bunny. It was speedily hopping in the opposite direction of where he was standing.

He loved all the animals in the world but his absolute favorite were bunnies. Well kitties were his first favorite but with the bunny's little fluffy white tail and floppy bunny ears, he couldn’t remember why.

He swore that in all his life he had never seen a cuter animal. The fluffy grey fur looked so soft and inviting, all he wanted to do was pass his hand through it. Grey had always been his favorite color after all. Suddenly he wanted his colors and paper to draw the bunny a picture. He only drew pictures for his friends and he knew they would be the greatest of friends.

With a gasp of delight, he began to follow the little bunny. He was very eager to run into the whole bunny family. Finally, he could uncover all the bunny secrets like, why did they love carrots? Did they taste like cookies? Have they ever had cookies? Would they prefer cookies that looked like carrots? And where exactly did the Easter Bunny live? If he met the Easter Bunny and they became friends, would he be able to get more chocolate eggs? Life or death questions really.

The bunny finally stopped hopping once it was safely inside a hole at the bottom of a tree. That was utterly confusing because his LiLi told him that bunnies lived in a hole in the dirt not a tree. LiLi had a lot of explaining to do.

Harry knelt at the base of the tree and leaned down to get a better look inside. He was shocked when all he saw was the bunny all by himself just staring back at him. In his mind, a bunny’s home was colorful and full of carrots and maybe a picture of their family and a couple of toys. It didn’t look like much fun with just dirt for a bed and nothing at all for entertainment. Not even a stupid spot!

“Hi Mr. Bunny” Harry greeted kindly. “Happy Day!”

The bunny wiggled its pink little nose in polite reply and took a few tentative steps towards him.

“Hi” Harry gushed, waving excitedly as the animal came closer. He leaned down further into ground, opening and closing his fist to coax the bunny from his boring home. Harry was confident the bunny would have more fun with him. The bunny seemed intrigued by Harry’s soft, gentle voice and hopped out from the hole emitting a mysterious squeak as it did so. The noise gave Harry the impression that it was crying from being all alone and that was just the saddest thing Harry had ever experienced. Bunnies should be happy at all times.

“Mr. Bunny no cry, it ‘kay” Harry said firmly. There was to be no crying from any precious, fuzzy creatures while he was around. He lay around the bunny once it fully emerged from its home. It was very soft and snuggled up to Harry after a cautious sniff.

“I give kisses” he decided instantly, dropping his head to fill the bunny’s fur with wet tenderness. Kisses always made him feel better. Kisses made everything better. The bunny was slightly startled before settling into the pleasant ambush of friendship.

“I friend, you no ‘lone Mr. Bunny, it ‘kay” Harry assured lying on his side, cocooning the bunny in his arms. He vowed to protect him from loneliness for as long as possible. He was lucky that he was never alone and thought it was so sad that the little bunny didn't seem to have a family like he did.

Harry kissed the bunny again and curled around the animal feeling so pleased to have found a new friend that really seemed to like him. At least that is what he gathered when the bunny didn’t stop kissing his neck.

He thought a bunny would be the perfect playdate when the boys were too busy to play with him. They could go on long trips on his bed with its dependable steering wheel or hop away from the pirates in the back garden. All he had to do was convince Louis that he needed this little bunny in his life. He rationalized that the bunny was too cute to be all alone. If that wasn’t a good enough reason then he would just cry until his stance was understood. That usually got people to see things his way.

Harry spent a few minutes reassuring his new friend that he didn't need to be sad anymore. They were friends now and he wouldn’t be all alone any longer. The bunny squirmed in his arms this time making a sound that in Harry’s mind mimicked someone who hadn’t eaten in years. Shifting his very good sentiments to the back of his mind for the moment, he headed back to the cabin to make sure his lovely new bunny received the greatest ‘Welcome new friend’ breakfast.

That is where Liam finds him an hour later.

In the middle of one hell of a feast.

In the kitchen.

On the floor.

Harry was sitting with his legs crisscrossed, in front of the open refrigerator door, half of its contents spread out around him. Apples, grapes, Nutella, celery, carrots, lettuce, bread and of course cookies (that weren’t even in the fridge but of course Harry found them) were currently being eaten or in line to be eaten. Liam found very small relief that the food was still in their plastic containers and not touching the floor.

Oh and also Harry was naked. Like completely not wearing a shirt or pants or even socks. If it had been three years ago that would have been the least weird detail of the morning but Harry didn’t like to be exposed these days. Clearly he had other things on his mind. And hands. And face.

Liam passed a hand roughly down his face, smothering a groan as he did so. He knew to always be prepared for anything when it came to Harry but this was the last thing he expected to find. He had figured when he woke up with more space than when he went to sleep that Harry had just gone to cuddle with Niall and Zayn. Nowhere in his mind did he think he would wake to a completely starkers Harry, opening a restaurant to all the critters of the cabin. Quite the mogul he was.

“Harry- what...” Liam started only to stop to physically swallow his frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, remembering that he loved this boy and there was a very good reason why he would need to Clorox the whole kitchen.

It was a very good thing it was Liam that discovered the unexpected buffet, Harry’s naked bum on the kitchen floor would certainly blow Louis the rest of the way into insanity. After spending the night dealing with the rarity of a Tommo panic attack, Liam had self-appointed himself the role of head-trip organizer person. He would be damned if a little naked breakfast would defeat the rest of the trip. Even though he was a little miffed himself, considering he spent a better part of the night scrubbing away the dust and grime the cabin had accumulated after not being used in a couple of months.

Liam moved further into the kitchen and sighed when he saw the extent of damage. Apparently the refrigerator had been the last resort. The groceries that they had put into the cabinets when they arrived were now all over the counter. Harry turned slightly, chocolate smeared around his lips, cookie suspended in trajectory to his mouth. His face broke out into his toothiest grin when he saw it was his LiLi standing in the kitchen. It was very unfair how fast Liam found his previous annoyance pointless.

“Hi LiLi” Harry waved heartily.

Liam didn’t want to smile, truly. In no universe should Harry actually be in the kitchen alone, fully starkers and eating cookies but he couldn’t help it. That grin could honestly solve the world’s problems.

“Hi Cupcake” Liam greeted, just as the cookie slipped from Harry’s hand and smacked Liam right in the center of the forehead. Ah the love, it was overwhelming.

“Sit” Harry said, patting an unused spot next to him. He didn’t seem to gather that Liam was not very happy to find him in such a revealing position. But that may have been hard for anyone to decipher with Liam’s too fond smile.

Liam sighed and closed the refrigerator door before crouching next to Harry instead, deciding their time on the floor would be brief, “Love, what are you doing exactly?”

“I eat” Harry told him, stuffing another cookie into his mouth. Liam dropped his head in his hands letting out a groan that Harry found especially hysterical, a bit of crumbs flying out of his mouth coating Liam’s hair with his own version of affection.

“I see and why aren’t you wearing any clothes Harry?” Liam asked, slowly trying to connect the dots on his own.

“Dirty clothes” Harry answered easily, shrugging as if Liam was the one being odd with his decent joggers and top. Harry gestured towards the living room before picking up a celery stick, sticking it into the Nutella canister and into his mouth. Liam cringed but at least he was eating his vegetables.

Liam knew he was going to regret looking towards the cabin’s little living room but he did it because he was a fearless bastard. For the second time in a span of ten minutes he had to bite his tongue. He was aware that they were in a cabin in the woods and dirt was pretty unavoidable but was a muddy floor really a necessary feature. Fused with the mud were Harry’s clothes, strewn over the floor in a trail that lead from the back porch to the where he sat, still having his way with the cookies.

“Harry, did you go outside by yourself?” Liam asked, voice steady already knowing the answer but he needing to go through the process with him.

“No mad please” Harry pleaded, smile sliding from his face while using his sticky fingers to cup Liam’s cheeks.

“Babe, I don't want to be mad but you know you can't go outside alone and are you meant to be in the kitchen naked and eating cookies for breakfast?” Liam questioned, sticking to his sensible role whilst trying not to smile as Harry proceeded to poke his cheek.

“I sorry but I no ‘lone LiLi” Harry assured dropping his hands to lick his fingers clean of chocolate. Liam reached over to grab a kitchen towel to wipe his cheeks and Harry’s hands clean.

“No? Did NiNi or Zaynie go with you?” Liam asked realizing it was possible those two fell back asleep and Harry got creative in morning activities.

“No, NiNi ‘n Zaynie sleepy” Harry admitted, pulling at his fingers. Liam could have gotten past the naked eating but going outside alone was something he knew Louis had been working on. Even if they were on holiday, it really shouldn’t go without punishment.

From experience it only took a second for Harry to investigate something that ended up hurting him. Like the hot pot that he couldn’t believe was really that hot or the power socket that electrocuted him because he thought his metal transformer toy could take cover in it. Knowing that there was possibly a pack of wolves fairly close to them didn’t help either.

“I know that Louis told you to wake us up if you wanted to get up, you could have gotten hurt” Liam scolded, stopping another cookie from making it into Harry’s mouth.

“I no hurted” Harry assured, pouting when Liam closed the lid of the cookies.

Liam hummed in acknowledgement while preventing Harry from reaching for any more food, keeping his hands trapped in his lap. Unfortunately for Harry he was feeling quite chatty thus launching into a long lecture about the dangers of disobeying. He also made sure to cover how mud is incredibly horrendous with its many germs and plowed on even as Harry fidgeted to be freed, his attention more than likely dwindling at the mention of ‘clean is fun’. A sock to the head ended Liam’s lengthy rant.

“Oh my God Liam, shut up! I was trying to sleep, we are on holiday remember? arse o’clock in the morning is no time for your lec- oh” Niall stopped his outburst to eye the chaos with furrowed brow, “So what’s going on here then?”

“Harry made breakfast” Liam replied, pulling a face when Harry tugged out of his grasp and offered Niall the tub of marshmallow fluff with a very cheerful smile.

Because Niall was gifted with the soul of someone who generally gave no fucks he accepted the tin with very little difficulty. He was fully capable of finding that as a plausible excuse for Harry to be naked with a pile of food. “Right, so what are we having?”

“Don’t encourage Niall” Liam shook his head wearily. Niall sat across from Harry not the least bit flustered at being privy to Harry in all his glory.

“Come on Payno, we are in the woods, this is proper woods eatin’.” Niall said, popping a grape into his mouth. “A gather of food from the land, willies free from sartorial oppression”

“Sartorial oppression?” Liam interrupted a bit of a smirk threatening to spill.

“Don't look at me like that, those are real words, anyway this is camping at its best, Harry is teaching us how it’s done, aren’t you Haz?” Niall asked. popping another grape into his mouth, giving Harry a wink.

“Hi NiNi” was Harry’s bright reply to which Niall chuckled and leaned over to ruffle his hair. Niall then let Harry feed him a carrot covered in Nutella and Liam tried not to gag.

“You are a plague to humanity,” Liam said flatly, while retrieving a pair of joggers that were thrown haphazardly over the back of a chair. “Here Harry put these on”

“And you are a tyrant” Niall accused with a cheeky grin, yet helped Harry slip on the joggers. “How do you expect us to enjoy this totally impromptu holiday in the oddly picturesque woods of Scotland if you won’t let the things that need hanging hang?”

“Yea, I'm the bad guy cause I prefer tea for breakfast not willies” Liam mumbled as he put away the containers of food back into the fridge careful to roll his eyes in the only way Niall could understand. Niall retaliated by ignoring him completely to discuss the proper ingredients for a hearty breakfast with Harry.

“Now that you have cleaned up your mess Li, we can have a more substantial breakfast, not that yours wasn’t lovely Haz” Niall suggested, poking Harry’s side. Then he proceeded to twirl him around the kitchen much to Harry’s enjoyment. Liam shook his head trying to stop his lips from betraying him and turning upward.

“Pancake” Harry agreed mid twirl.

“Yes Pancakes! You heard the man Payno, do your magic” Niall ordered, stopping specifically to land a smack on Liam’s bum.

“You wouldn’t be here right now ruining my life if we had gotten rid of you from the beginning. No one ever listens to me” Liam sighed tragically, turning around from returning items to their random places in the cabinets.

“Please, like you could live without me” Niall replied at the same time Harry said ‘I listen’.

Liam felt completely powerless when Harry kissed his cheek and stepped back looking entirely too pleased. Not fair. If Liam was going to refuse the making of pancakes, he didn’t say as he grabbed the mixing bowls and spoons.

Niall grinned at their success, “Come on Haz, let’s go bother Zaynie while Liam cooks for us, like the Kings we are”

“I am not cooking for you” Liam denied “I am cooking for Harry” he added just so it was clear. He would hate Niall to think he was special.

“Don't act like cooking and basically picking up after me doesn’t enrich your life” Niall stated, taking Harry’s hand in his.

“As much as stabbing myself with sharp objects would,” Liam countered quickly. Niall made sure Harry was preoccupied with pulling his hair before giving Liam a wholehearted raised finger and was swift to avoid the kick aimed at his shin.

“Before you go hassle Zayn, Harry needs a time out for a little bit” Liam directed not forgetting Harry’s little morning adventure.

“No time out please” Harry pleaded looking to Niall for assistance.

“Why are you being mean to my Haz?” Niall asked letting Harry koala himself to his back.

“Well oh so observant Niall, besides the breakfast buffet in the nude, he took a trip outside by himself.” Liam explained, definitely not being persuaded by Harry’s big sad eyes. He spun around to turn on the stove because they did not weaken his resolve. Nope.

“Oh” Niall nodded, also aware of the dangers of Harry being alone. “Buddy, why didn’t you wake me up, I would have gone outside with you”

“Outside up, NiNi sleepy” Harry replied with wide hand gestures to get his point across.

“I don't know but that made perfect sense to me” Niall said, leaving a bop on Harry’s nose.

“Niall…” Liam sighed, trying to figure out if he could send both Harry and Niall to time out.

“Liam we are on holiday, no one is hurt, and you have pancakes to make” Niall argued tucking Harry under his arm.

Liam gave Niall a hard look that quickly softened because Niall was giving him the ‘Haz might actually be leaving us, be cool’ look. Maybe they could afford to forgo one time out, as long as Louis wasn’t aware, “Fine, but you're cleaning up the mud.”

“What mud?” Niall asked as a mop was thrust into his hands.

“It astounds me how attentive you are” Liam noted sarcastically, motioning toward the living room.

“Dirty clothes” Harry added helpfully, still adhered to Niall’s side.

“Oh I see now, Harry went outside then” Niall flinched after glancing at the mess right next to the couch Zayn and him had slept on. Zayn still dead to the world.

“You know, we are in a cabin, in the woods, the floors should have mud on them” Liam just rolled his eyes, knowing that meant the floor would not be cleaned. He was still dedicated to having a great trip so he pretended the mud was not a problem and searched for pancake mix.

“I help” Harry announced, going to stand next to Liam as he gathered the necessary supplies.

“I will also help except it will look like I am just sitting here eating grapes” Niall smiled hopping on the counter with a bowl of grapes, away from the pancake mixing action. Liam chuckled as Harry repeated all the items he put on the counter, proving to Niall that he was in fact a better helper.

Liam assigned Harry with the task of stirring offering only minimal assistance. While Liam worked on flipping the cooked batter, Niall asked Harry about his early morning adventures. Harry stepped away from the stove immediately to tell Niall all about the little bunny he found. Niall cackled when Harry accused Liam of being less than truthful. He seemed pretty upset that the little bunny he found had been ‘crying’ in a hole at the base of a tree and not underground where LiLi said they lived. Liam had to work hard to keep a straight-face as he defended himself assuring Harry that most bunnies did live in the ground, and perhaps that bunny was just taking a break from hopping. Harry accepted that because it made more sense than Liam being a liar.

"So it has finally happened then?" Niall stated once Harry ended his tale to munch on stolen pancake strips.

"What?" Liam asked absently mid flip.

"Haz has realized that you aren't actually full of vast knowledge" Niall smiled ruffling Harry's hair. Harry whined and moved away from Niall’s hand more interested in drowning the pancakes in syrup.

"Jealousy is not a good look on you" Liam chuckled.

"Everything is a good look on me, tell him Haz" Niall said, striking a model-like pose.

"NiNi pretty" Harry agreed, taking a moment to give Niall a face-splitting grin.

"Pretty is a nice word but I was thinking more like stallion, rugged, handsome, the sexiest man alive" Niall said pinching Harry’s side.

"No I think pretty fits cause you are… you know delicate like a baby bird" Liam said. Niall leaned back, a hand held to his chest scandalized, he mouthed ‘you whore’ to Liam who just laughed turning back to making pancakes.

"Birdie" Harry laughed seeming to find the description accurate.

"Yea but like a baby eagle bird” Niall mumbled still slightly outraged.

A shriek from the living room had Liam’s retort to dying in his mouth. There would be another day to inform Niall that he was in fact more delicate than baby eagles. Those things were freaking beasts. Liam turned off the stove to join the other boys in the living room. He couldn’t help the cackle that left his mouth when saw what the noise was about. Today was sure turning out to be very interesting.

"Am I dead?" Zayn asked breathing heavily. He was sitting up, the duvet pooling at his waist, his eyes fully blown and a hand appeared to be trying to keep his heart from beating outside of his chest. A little grey bunny sat up top Zayn’s head mixing in with his disheveled morning quiff. Harry was clapping very delightedly from the edge of the couch, Niall mirroring his actions before falling to the floor in a proper fit.

“Haz is that your bunny friend?” Liam asked remembering the story Harry had just told in the kitchen. It was hard to follow but he probably should have put it together when Harry said ‘I give carrot, bunny nap’. He just thought Harry was confusing a dream with reality, which happened quite a lot actually.

“Yes, Mr. Bunny” Harry nodded, practically beaming. “He sleepy with Zaynie” he added pointing to the box that was at the end of Zayn’s side of the mattress. Apparently the bunny preferred the top of Zayn’s head to the cardboard home. It was rather impressive that Harry even thought to find a box to put the bunny in. He even put what looked like Niall’s favorite t-shirt to give the bunny a proper bed. It really was very thoughtful.

“What is happening?” Zayn asked still looking distressed. Liam was going to answer him to ease the wrinkle from his friend’s forehead but couldn’t get the words out through his laughing. Niall sat up from where he threw himself and pointed at Zayn, face tomato red and holding his stomach. He looked like he was going to say something, most likely something unhelpful but decided it was best to continue his fit.

"Zaynie! Mr. Bunny like you!" Harry exclaimed falling into the space next to Zayn and reaching up to gently take the bunny from Zayn’s head.

“Why? Why does it like me? Why is there even a bunny?” Zayn questioned, looking directly to Liam for answers.

“Because you are warm?” Liam guessed, eyes sparkling.

“I am not warm. I am cold, heartless, to be feared!” Zayn exclaimed in the tone he used when he thought he was being scary. Niall took a breath before falling into another fit.

Liam waits a beat. Sometimes he wonders how harmful it really is to lie to boost up your mates self-worth.

“No yea, you are a cold, soulless creature, so scary” Liam soothed just as the bunny hopped out of Harry’s lap and headed back to Zayn, who was looking at it like it carried all the diseases of the world.

“I know I am _Leeyum_ and we are about to have bunny stew in three seconds if someone doesn’t explain.” Zayn declared pointing his finger at the bunny. The bunny smelled his it before puffing out his tail and wagging it.

“A little melodramatic there Zayner” Liam chuckled, moving the bunny’s box off the bed to make room for himself. “Harry found him this morning”

“Bunny my friend Zaynie” Harry informed turning very serious. Zayn cupped his cheek with a smile then turned to Liam. “Get rid of it,” he hissed.

“You should have seen your face” Niall cried wiping away actual tears from his cheeks and throwing himself onto Harry, who didn’t hesitate to hold him tight. “I can't even…”

"That thing is a beast" Zayn stated tone full of disgust. He ignored Niall's statement and cringed when Harry reached over to kiss the grey ball of fur.

"That thing is tiny and harmless and really, really cute" Liam smirked even though he wished he could give it a bath before any kisses more were offered to it.

"Right harmless, it attacked me, I could have died!" Zayn scoffed, clutching a hand to his chest. "Leeyum, why don't you care that my life will never be the same?!!"

Liam rolled his eyes while Niall’s shoulders started shaking again.

"Zaynie, little bunny nice, see" Harry expressed giving the bunny an Eskimo kiss to which the bunny wiggled its little pink nose. Zayn made a gagging noise.

"Yea Zaynie get a grip" Liam shook his head. Obviously everyone just needed a time out this morning.

“Get a grip?! Get a grip?! All I know is that one minute I am just minding my own business winning my tenth Grammy and then the next I am rabbit food, my ear is bleeding, I need like a shot” Zayn rambled in disbelief that a little bunny is what was going to kill him.

“cootie or…?” Liam asked trying and failing to hold back his laughter. Zayn glared.

“It fluffy!!” Harry gushed picking up the animal again and pressing it to his cheek.

“I am going to die” Zayn flopped back onto the pillows sighing wretchedly.

“Tenth grammy!” Niall choked on his laugh. “That is quite ambitious especially since you are going to die at the hands of the fluffiest bunny to grace all of Scotland before you even get your first one” he didn’t even seem bothered at the pillow Zayn threw at his head.

“Hazzy, how dare you bring this vile, evil beast into my life” Zayn demanded eyeing the bunny who was now sniffing around Harry’s vacant hand.

“Zaynie it ‘kay, Mr. Bunny give kisses” Harry said because kisses are the best. Zayn replied with a mock glare that Harry mistook as real emotion. He yelped when Zayn grabbed him and began to tickle any accessible spot.

“No, No tickles” Harry wheezed through a giggle. Zayn ignored his pleas and continued his attack until Niall jumped in and began to tickle Zayn.

Liam shook his head before diving in to fight for Harry’s honor as well. Somewhere between the tickles turning into amicable punches and the bunny licking Zayn’s face, Louis emerged. His hair was rumpled, somehow resembling a bird’s nest and his eyes were still squinty from having just woken up. He assessed the situation for less than a second before piling onto the group disregarding Niall’s pleas to get his ‘fat bum’ off him.

“So guys, why is there a bunny sitting on Zayn’s chest?” Louis asked once everyone had settled around each other, no more fight left. Harry kissed his cheek in way of greeting and snuggled up to his chest.

“Because apparently this stupid thing thinks I am its momma” Zayn murmured. The bunny wagged his tail and Zayn may have passed his hand through its fur though no one found it necessary to comment.

“Bunny no stupid” Harry frowned with furrowed brow.

“Sorry Hazzy , I didn’t mean that.” Zayn said losing his scowl and reaching over to grab Harry’s hand. “I am so fit to be a bunny momma”

“Well of course, cause you are the warmest, coziest person ever” Liam cooed pinching his cheek.

“This is doing nothing for my rep” Zayn shook his head in despair.

“You are softer than snow” Louis chuckled. Harry reached over and poked Zayn’s cheek giggling when Zayn bit his finger.

“Oh my god! Give it milk from your bosom!” Niall squealed suddenly, clearly still very much enjoying the anguish the bunny was causing Zayn.

“Do bunny’s drink milk?” Liam asked solely to get Zayn to scowl.

“Let’s not get bogged down with specifics, just do it please, oh my god why don't we have a film crew anymore” Niall said throwing his hands in the air making Harry copy him and giggle. Zayn huffed but slapped Niall’s hand away when he tried to take the bunny from him.

“I am still trying to work out why there is even a bunny, I don't think we like bunnies” Louis probed poking Harry’s side knowing he was most likely behind this fuzzy intruder.

“My friend” Harry answered looking an expression far beyond fond.

“Yea the bunny is your friend is he?” Louis smirked looking to Liam who had a small smile taking over his face. Of course, they would let Harry get a hold of a wild animal. To be fair it was really freaking cute.

“Yes, Mr. Bunny” Harry nodded. He curled a finger in his hair and Louis knew that there would be tears when they left the little critter behind. And of course they would have to because it was a wild animal after all. Those things carried like the plague or something awful. Naturally the boys left it up to Louis to be the bearer of bad news, he would make them all pay for that. Liam excused himself to finish the breakfast he had been working on. Niall followed with a pledge that he would be supervising not alleviating the rumbling in his tummy. No one believed that.

Harry settled in between Zayn and Louis, giggling softly when the bunny hopped onto his chest and curled itself on his ribcage. Zayn made some sort of ridiculous fond noise that Louis rolled his eyes at because he really was a big old softie. He pretended that his own chest didn’t fill with warmth when Harry said ‘good nap’ to the little fur ball and gave it a kiss on its little pink nose.

Louis asked Harry where he found the bunny and that started a drawn out recap of his earlier adventure. It went around in circles so many times that Zayn had to ask questions to keep Harry focused on his own story. Louis smiled in the right places and held back a scold for going outside alone figuring that Liam had already taken care of that. Aside from the mud next to the sofa, that had yet to be explained to him it was a pretty relaxing morning.

That is until his destructive feelings decided to show up and ruin his peace of mind. He promised Liam that he would take things one day at a time and some other positive thinking crap but the too bright smile on Harry’s face was inadvertently making him miserable. He could feel his heart rate speed up just at the mere thought that in two days’ time he would most likely be saying good-bye to his lovely Hazza Bear. His Hazza bear that at the moment, was completely lit up simply because he found a bunny.

Louis leaned behind the couch to grab his cell phone that he left charging overnight. Even though he didn’t want to miss any of Harry’s story, he had to check his emails. He was waiting for an email from his lawyer and it should have arrived early that morning. As expected it was the first message waiting for him in his inbox, titled **‘Please read immediately’**. He almost closed out of his browser but knew he wouldn’t stop thinking about all the things the message could say. Good or bad he needed to know.

**‘Guardianship hearing moved to Monday at 10 am.’**

That was all that was typed in the body of the email. No, ‘prepare for the worst’ or even a, ‘good luck’. Only a notice of the date and time change, he wasn’t even sure which courtroom it would be held in. It seemed like a waste of an email if Louis was being honest. It would have been nice if there had been some sort of small encouragement to make the situation less menacing. His lawyer had evidently never heard of Liam’s positive thinking.

And crap! The hearing was changed to Monday, it was presently Sunday and they were eight hours away. “Shit Fuck we have to go back to London, right now!”

“Bad Boo” Harry accused at Louis choice of words.

“I’m sorry babes” Louis kissed Harry’s temple to strengthen his apology. “We have to go back home, right now” he slid from under Harry, a surge of nervous energy flowing through him.

“Wait Lou, why do we have to go back? I thought we were going to go swimming or go for a hike or something.” Zayn asked confused.

“The hearing was moved to tomorrow at ten in the morning is why” Louis answered, making a mental checklist of all the things he needed to be done in the next few hours.

“Oh man, alright I'll tell the lads and we will head out pronto,” Zayn said appearing to wake up at the information.

“Great, Hazza can you go take the bunny outside and then go take a shower for me” Louis instructed picking up the blankets and pillows that were thrown around the room.

“No Boo Bear” Harry said quietly, shaking his head.

“Excuse me, what was that?” Louis asked. He dropped the blanket he was folding to make sure he could hear correctly.

“No, I keep Mr. Bunny please” Harry said changing his tone.

“Love, I know you like him but we can't take him with us,” Louis denied sliding in next to him.

Harry glanced down at the bunny now resting on his lap and made a terribly whining sound before looking back at Louis, “But my friend”. He murmured in a voice that Louis found should be illegal.

“Aww buddy, I know he is your friend and I really wish we could take him” Louis expressed cupping Harry’s face between his palms. “But we can't take him away from his home can we?”

“Yes, Mr. Bunny like me” Harry pouted.

“Well of course he does, you are the absolute best Hazza but what if Mr. Bunny has a mommy or daddy looking for him and then he is sad because he will never see them again.” Louis did his best to explain why they had to leave the animal, sidestepping the part about the possible hundred diseases it carried.

“I know that I would be so sad if you left your home with me and I never saw you again” Louis added when Harry stayed silent. His heart was speeding up again and he had to push his palms into his eyes to stop tears from developing. In a little over twenty-four hours, he would have to move Harry out of their home and let Des take him half way across the world. He would never see him again, he was sure of it. Liam’s optimistic thinking be damned.

Harry gently tugged at Louis’ hair and leaned over to kiss his cheek, “Mr. Bunny go, I stay” and foolishly Louis found the hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so astonished that people seem to like this story. Thank you all for reading. I am really, really sorry that it took so long for this chapter. School always gets in the way. Hopefully it won't take as long for the next chapter. All of your kind words mean the world to me. Thanks again lovelies!! =D
> 
> P.s. Me and grammar aren't friends so I am sorry if my writing is not the best. Oops.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fun with Nick G.

Nick didn’t need to be awake for more than a minute to know the day was going to bring trouble. His mind was clear, thanks to his declining the third glass of wine with dinner. And there was no boy to kick out of his bed with the pretext that he had to wash his hair before his mid morning slot on the radio. All clear signs to bad things to come.

If every other day of his life taught him anything, it’s that it’s always best to be just a little buzzed. At all times. That was really the only way to excuse hitting on the too young intern or “accidentally” gluing his fellow cohosts headsets with the most superest glue sold at Tesco.

He silenced his phone alarm after the chime went off the fifth time. He figured it was best to begin the day, two hours after originally planned. Better late than never, just happens to be his life motto. He did his daily bathroom duties while adeptly replying to a text from Louis, letting him know that he is in fact awake and not freaking out in the slightest. He is fully capable of caring for another human being, even if the sole bottle of olives in his fridge and wine in his cabinets say otherwise.

Okay, maybe he was the last person who should be responsible for any living thing. His mom still gives him grief for killing the orchid she gifted him with when he got promoted to his own radio show last year. It was really her own fault. If she wanted it to last for more than three days she should have sent proper care instructions. How was he to know that orchids didn’t use water and alcohol interchangeably?

Even if you subtract his no-fault plant death experience there was still no discernible reason for Louis to have gone along with Nick’s offer to watch Harry for the day. In all the years that Nick had known Louis he is positive he had never proven that he was capable of maintaining his own life much less someone else’s. So when Louis agreed to Nick’s mere musings he was beyond puzzled.

Louis sudden act of faith may have been due to Nick calling him in the middle of the night a week ago. He was completely smashed but still able to argue his case that Harry would be much better off living with the smurfs than with Des, the ‘douche of all fathers’. And even though Louis could only dream of being as cool as the little blue darlings, Nick assured him he was still a better runner up. He may have then listed the very good solid reasons why Harry should spend the day with him on the day of the trial and not his normal sitter, who is just so ‘stupid’.

Even with the obvious expert debate Louis’ red flags should have been going off. But Nick was not going to hold onto too much judgment since Louis was probably thinking more about the biggest trial of his life and not exactly dissecting Nick’s drunken ramblings. At least he hoped that was the case because if Louis believed that Nick was actually trained in CPR then they had bigger problems.

Harry was spending the day with him. Alone. No other person to diffuse the pressure of entertainment. Just Nick and Harry, Harry and Nick. He almost called Louis to take back the ‘not freaking out’ he texted earlier. Maybe Harry should stay with his other sitter, he was certain she wouldn’t be having stomach pains at the simple thought of keeping someone alive and amused for a few hours.

He took in a deep breathe to ease his nerves. It was actually immensely essential for Nicks well being for the visit to not only happen but also go well. He missed Harry very much, sometimes he could even feel his heart physically ache, which was beyond dramatic and made his mouth go dry with distaste. He really hated the amount of time that came and went since his last visit with Harry. He never knew how to act anymore, so the interactions, the few times they happened, were always horribly awkward.

It had been almost a year and half now since he spent any alone time with his old friend. Louis had brought him over the house for a few hours and left them watching TV in the den while he went to answer a phone call. Nick had made the dim-witted mistake of saying that he was not a fan of SpongeBob, preferring the humor of the Fairy Odd Parents. That statement was his greatest faux-pas to this day. Harry was not impressed in the slightest and threw a book at Nick’s head calling him what sounded like poop before stomping away.

It’s safe to say Nick is worried.

After deciding that Harry wouldn't care how he was dressed he threw on a t-shirt and sweats, he was much to nervous to be constricted in his usual style of tight fitted shirt and painted on jeans. He then shot a text to his sister to beg for his niece to miss school that day. She was the smartest kid in the 1st grade and could surely afford to miss one day. He could really use an extra person. He had no idea how to have G-rated fun. His party trick was turning one beer into twenty. Something told him Louis would not approve.

His Finchy and Alexa had assured him that he was actually quite fun, he only had to whine for a few hours for that confirmation to actually sound genuine. Luckily he had the most helpful six year-old niece who had given him some very great ideas. In all honesty, he never would have thought about coloring or a trip to the swings.

Nick wandered into the kitchen unsure of what he actually should be doing to prepare for his visitor but knowing that tea was always the best place to start. Just as Nick threw away his pride and pleaded with his sister to be reasonable and cooperative for once, the doorbell rang.

Moment of truth.

Nick removes the kettle and turns off the stove like the responsible adult he pretends to be. The doorbell rings for a second time while Nick opens the door. “Why hello there beautiful people” Nick greets with a possibly too wide smile.

“Alright Grims?” Louis replies with a nod. He is wearing a grey fitted suit with a crisp white shirt and tie undone at his collar. The tangle of hair on his head lets Nick know that he is frazzled and most likely running late. Harry appears to be very much less stressed with his neatly brushed hair , that is until he looks at Nick. His soft smile drops, his lips pull together and he swiftly makes his way to Louis’ neck.

“Well come in then” Nick says bumping fist with Louis, opening the door wider allowing them to enter his home.

“Thanks for doing this Nick, really” Louis states sounding completely genuine while dropping a blue bag with a giant SpongeBob in the center on the floor.

“It is a pleasure Tomlinson” Nick says honestly, despite the fact that his belly has begun to rumble again.

“These are just some of his favorite things” Louis informs while attempting to pry Harry from his body. Nick nods in acknowledgement then does what he does best. Stands awkwardly while Harry attempts to mold his body into Louis.

“Harry, come on now love” Louis urges softly wiping a hand down his back. “Say hi to Nick”

“No” Harry mumbles still in his Louis’ cove.

“That’s alright, it takes people time to love me” Nick winks, much more confidently than he feels.

“The most honest thing you have ever said.” Louis smiles passing a hand through his hair, looking slightly more relaxed. “Anyway, I got to get going so listen up. I am not sure how long I'll be at court but I’ll be back to pick him up. I’ll text you when I am on the way. I packed some of his anxiety pills, which is two little white pills mixed with applesauce, there is an instruction card, and you most likely won’t need to use them. He is allergic to Kiwi, and please dear god no alcohol.”

“God Lou, I am not daft, there is no alcohol in beer right?” Nick smirks because he is hilarious and also to hide the fact that his stomach acid was rising with the knowledge that he may need to give medication. There is a reason why he is in radio and not medicine.

Louis raises an eyebrow. “Nick”

“I am just kidding, what has happened to your sense of humor” Nick shakes his head in mock disbelief.

“You are not funny Grimshaw” Louis rolls his eyes before face going soft and turning to Harry. “Alright babe, I have to go to a meeting now, you are going to have so much fun with Nick”

“Boo bear stay” Harry protests quickly gripping onto Louis arm, with a look that reads ‘over my dead body’.

“Hazza bear, we talked about this bub. You are staying here and I am going to a meeting then I’ll come back to pick you up and we can go to the park.” Louis sounds as if he has repeated the same explanation all morning. He still manages to remain unruffled as he tries to wrestle himself from the tight hold Harry has on him.

“No, Harry go” Harry shakes his head digging his nails into Louis’ arm.

“Harry, please stop, you are hurting me love” Louis bids gently tugging at Harry's arm.

“Please stay” Harry pouts but does loosen his grip. All the while Nick watches from his place near the table feeling very much out of place. He is very close to pleading for Louis to stay as well. It is pretty clear that Harry would much rather cause physical harm than be alone with Nick. He can’t really blame him to be honest.

“Hazza bear, I will be back so soon I promise” Louis says pushing back the curls on Harry’s forehead and leaving a kiss. Harry does not seem satisfied with that response in the slightest.

After Louis whispers what seems to be magic words into Harry’s ear, Harry nods and reluctantly sags away giving Louis the chance to slip away with a promise to return very soon. Whether that was a promise to Harry or to Nick was yet to be determined.

Once the door closed, Harry glanced at Nick, then back at the door. Nick smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way, of course with how his muscles were straining, probably not. It didn’t matter anyway because Harry was staring longingly at the door.

Harry seemed to think that the door closing with him still on the side where Nick was, meant that he would never see his precious boo bear ever again. Nick saw the moment Harry realized he was actually going to be spending the day alone with Nick. He took a long, shuddering breath, then chewed on his lower lip before big crocodile tears began to saturate his cheeks, taking a little bit of Nick’s chill with them.

Harry turned and abruptly kicked the door, scaring Nick half to death, before sliding down onto the front rug uttering a soft "boo" as he went. All Nick could do was sit in front of him and reassure him that ‘Boo Bear’ would be back very soon. It didn’t really seem to soothe him but eventually Harry did stop crying.  
An hour later they were both still seated in front of the door, in the throngs of a very heated staring contest. Nick was only in the lead because Harry was more interested in poking the characters that littered his shirt. Clearly Finchy and Alexa were wrong and Nick was not fun at all. He would never trust them and their stupid faces again.

Harry was giving him nothing. Unless you counted the grunt when Nick offered him the brownies he baked all by himself the night before. It is probably for the best because they were still gooey in the middle and he may have mixed up the sugar with oregano.

There was always some noise of disgust when Nick suggested a trip to the swings. So there went Nick’s plan of a picnic in the park followed by fun time on the playground. He literally had nothing else planned. His stupid friends, as they will now be known, had assured him that those were good solid ideas and Harry would just laugh and laugh all day. If he couldn’t depend on his well adjusted friends, who could he count on?.

Nick sighed, leaning back on his hands humming what he would deny to be a catchy little ditty from the Little Mermaid. His niece left the soundtrack disc in his car radio and he had not spent the whole week learning it. He had learned it in three days. By the fourth day, he considered holding a performance for his morning listeners as a way to brighten their morning. His supervisor assured him it would in fact cause the opposite reaction and quite possibly, they’d have a riot on their hands. His supervisor was obviously quite jealous.

Even with the slight negativity, he managed to learn the whole disc from beginning to end. He had even watched the movie and learned where each song fit. He may have over done it, at least that’s what pretty much everyone had told him but Nick liked to be prepared.

Nick couldn’t exactly explain what the Little Mermaid was actually preparing him for so he just let people mock him and roll their eyes at his “childishness”, while he kept his perfectly good reasons to himself.

He had hoped to be able to bond with Harry over their past love of the red-haired half human-goddess fish lady. It wasn't until the night before that Louis informed him that Harry was currently obsessed with the Lion King. That was quite unexpected but the Little Mermaid was already ingrained in his head, macho bravado be damned.

“You know what? I have ice cream, I bet you want some ice cream.” Nick suggests very much desperate for some form of interaction. He thought that he had finally given Harry an option he couldn’t refuse when he tilted his head as if considering if ice cream was worth talking to Nick. Evidently, he was not because Harry broke eye contact in favor of pulling at the hem of his t-shirt.

There went all of Nick’s bright ideas. All that was left was giving him the beer he promised Louis he didn't have. Surely one sip couldn’t hurt that bad and it would loosen him right up. It was really a win-win. Nick shook away that admittedly bad idea and tried searching through the less used, non-crazy part of his brain.

It really shouldn't have been this hard. Essentially all Nick could do without the use of liquid courage was to invade Harry's personal space. With any luck his constant presence would be either intriguing or annoying and then Harry would move or yell or basically do anything that removed that frown from his lips. They were only meant for smiles and talking about elephants or whatever he was into that week.

The topic of conversation or kind of activity didn’t really matter at this point. Nick would play dress up or talk about bunnies if it meant Harry opened up and maybe acted like he knew who Nick even is.

That is really the core of the problem. Harry was afraid of him or nervous and those were never the emotions Nick ever associated with his Harry. Their night ins usually included lots of beer, Tesco brand wine if they were feeling fancy and a film that they never actually watched because they swapped stories from the road or Nick’s less glamorous job. He didn’t know how to make Harry like him because the first time they met it was an instant friendship. He barely said two words before Harry had been hanging off him.

Nick still remembers their very first night in, they had known each other for a full 48 hours when they realized they would be mates for life. The day after they met just happened to be Harry’s 18th birthday, and as pop stars are meant to do they wreaked havoc on the good city of London. When the rest of the gang headed off to the after party in who-the-fuck-cares, the two of them crashed on Nick’s couch. On the floor, in front of the couch to be exact, their faces mashed into the carpet to be more accurate.

Nestled between them was an ostentatious flower pot repainted in bright orange that Harry crowned as the vomit catcher. Which he promised had to do with its size and not Nick’s creative abilities. Surrounding them were many bottles of beer, the really cheap beer that tasted equally like despair and a bit of freedom.

Harry kept saying how he always prefers ending the night on a quiet note, although Nick didn’t think vomiting was necessarily a quiet affair. Harry didn’t seem to mind though. Even though he had known him for less than a day Nick knew Harry was a go with the flow kind of guy, which was precisely the right dynamic needed for his own boisterous personality.

After a quick drunken nap Harry got his second wind and voiced his need to watch The Little Mermaid immediately. The reason why Nick had the DVD in his film collection would forever be his secret. It was a good fucking movie. Nick was not really in the mood, claiming they were too old for such things. But then Harry very kindly reminded him how they went skinny dipping in the very public city fountain just a few hours ago. And well you can’t argue with facts.

Harry then proceeded to strip down to his pants (apparently that was proper mermaid attire), then very loudly and very much off key he sang along to the movie. The whole movie, much to his headache’s displeasure. Although Nick was pretty sure Harry was making up lyrics because Disney would probably be out of business if their songs were truly about penis praising.

It was a truly memorable night, especially after the naked sprint through Nick’s quiet street in the rain belting the lyrics to ‘under the sea’. It was magical and only slightly horrifying when they noticed Nick’s 85 year-old neighbor watching them from her porch. Harry greeted her with a special dance. To this day he can’t look her in the eyes.

But this wasn't his Harry no matter how much he looked like him. He hadn't had the courage to genuinely interact with this Harry, to relearn his ins and outs. And that was just so sad, especially if the outcome of the trial had him moving across the world. By the end of the day he would make sure Harry loved him again.

“Your shirt is really the coolest shirt I have ever seen. Can you let me borrow it? I want to be cool like you” Nick stated with the brightest smile he could muster. It was a bright yellow shirt with some scene from SpongeBob on it. He was certain that no adult should be wearing it but Harry looked very much like sunshine and that was a good look for him. Harry looked up at him from his spot and smiled softly. Even though he didn’t say anything, Nick counted that as a win.

Harry's smile renewed Nick's inspiration. He looked through the backpack Louis left with him. It was the first place any other adult would have looked. Obviously, he still had some work to do on the whole adult thinking thing. There were crayons, coloring books, a fire truck and the Lion King disc safely placed inside. Even though the Lion King holds no artistic accolades in comparison to the Little Mermaid, he was happy to see it none the less. It was bonding time.

“Well Mr. Harry, you just sit here if you want and I guess I will just go watch the Lion King all by myself then” Nick sighed dramatically making sure to pass the disc cover under Harry’s line of sight before standing up. He set up the disc in the player and flopped down on the couch. Somewhere between the circle of life and baby Simba being presented to the animal community Nick noticed some curls peeking out from the corner of the sofa.

Nick knew that this was a very crucial moment. One wrong move and Harry would be cowering back at the front door. He did what any self-respecting adult would do.

When the time came, he wrapped the green throw blanket from the couch around his neck like a cape that was fit for a king and began to prance around the coffee table with his own rendition of “I just can't wait to be king". It was quite electric and quite perfect if he did say so himself. Most importantly, Harry had fully emerged, perching himself on the couch. He was giggling and clapping along to Nick’s antics, guiding the performance to two more scenes. Every once in a while Harry would scream out the name of an animal and Nick would do his best to imitate. It was seriously the greatest moment in Nick’s life.

"Sit" Harry instructs happily, patting the empty cushion next to him. Nick tries very hard not to squeal, he really does. He is just glad no one was around to mock him.

"About time" Nick murmurs fighting back a grin, discarding the cape in favor of laying it across both their laps. He doesn’t even try holding back a squeal when Harry very slowly lays his head on Nick’s shoulder. He should have known acting like a fool was still the only way into Harry's heart.

"Big Simba" Harry says quietly, popping up and pointing at the transforming baby Simba to adult Simba.

"Do you like Big Simba? I love Big Simba!" Nick enthused. The highness in his voice was new and fairly uncomfortable and more than likely incredibly scary. Harry didn't seem to mind though, he turned to Nick with a finger in his hair and a very blinding smile on his face. Like the big smiles that always made Nick wonder if dimples could be sprained. It was rather nice.

"Big 'Icky" Harry pointed to Nick then leaned over to pat his hair, as if letting him know that he was in fact referring to him. Nick rolled his eyes fondly, making a mental note to make sure to get Harry to call him anything else.

Apparently the opposite of nervous was talking. It was a little odd for Nick because Harry still had his deep slow drawl but instead of talking about the new underground band he just heard, he was talking about the awesomeness of the Lion King. Nick learned that Simba was Harry's favorite followed closely by Pumba. If Nick was following correctly Harry was positive that "Mufu", which he guessed was Mufasa, wasn't really dead. He lived in the clouds. And if that wasn’t just precious, well, nothing ever would be.

After a pretty lengthy discussion where Nick unsuccessfully tried getting Harry to call him ‘Nicky’ instead of ‘Big ‘Icky’ they were seated at the coffee table. Harry was chewing on his bottom lip pretty forcefully as he tried to decide which of his coloring books he wanted to share with Nick. He was torn between a very used SpongeBob book and a fairly new Lion King book.

"Why don't we pick one page from the SpongeBob book and one from the Lion King?" Nick suggested as he laid out the full box of 144 crayons on the table in front of them.

"'Kay" Harry agreed. He immediately handed Nick the Lion king book, keeping the torn SpongeBob book for himself. Clearly that was his favorite. Nick can't say coloring was a particularly thrilling activity but he is hundred percent glad to be a part of it. It had been almost five years since the last time he colored with Harry. His niece was barely three and he had to shield her away from the many penises that Harry very maturely was drawing, 'this is the most artistic thing I know' he had said.

Nick could see why coloring was a thing. It was very relaxing activity. It felt like at least an hour passed by before Harry very tentatively poking his arm.

"Yes Mr. Harry, how can I help you?" Nick asks with his hopefully reassuring smile.

"Um please, I have juice?" Harry requested softly, seemingly trying to hide under his coloring book.

"Oh of course you can have some juice sweets, would you like something to eat too?" Nick inquires glancing at his watch and realizing Harry was probably hungry. He got so caught up with bonding he completely forgot about the basics. Harry tilted his head in thought before nodding his head in agreement.

While Nick fulfilled the shy request he replied to some text messages. He let Liam know that Harry was in fact still alive and not even remotely missing them. He let Finchy and Alex know they were wrong about everything but because he is all kinds of awesome he managed to turn the day around, well him and the Lion King, but small details. Niall let him know that they were on a break and it would be nice if Nick brought them all pizza. Nick told him to piss off and to let him know what was happening throughout the actual trial.

"Here we are Harry, I got us some apple juice and some ham and cheese sandwiches" Nick informed putting the plate of diagonally cut sandwiches and cups of juice in the center of the table. After making sure Harry had a sandwich in front of him, he went back to coloring in the Simba on his paper. He glanced up at Harry and noticed he was chewing on something but his sandwich remained untouched.

"Hey, what is in your mouth?" Nick asked getting Harrys attention.

"Cherry" Harry mumbled around the item he was chewing.

"Cherry? I didn't give you any cherries, I have never even bought cherries" Nick stated mostly to himself.

"Color" Harry explained, pressing the item to his cheek with his finger.

"Color?" Nick asked confused. "Oh my God, Harry open your mouth, don't eat the crayons!" Nick exclaimed once he realized that Harry was chewing on the crayon he had been using. He pulled at Harry's lip until the crayon fell out.

"Big 'Icky" Harry whined clearly not realizing that crayons should only be used for artistic purposes only.

“Harry” Niall mimicked his whine. “You can’t eat crayons buddy, they will make your tummy hurt”

“Tummy not hurt” Harry pursed his lips and put a hand on his stomach.

“That's good and we want to keep it that way, so we can't eat the crayons love” Nick explained gently. He was thinking of what else they could do since Harry was hungrily eyeing the other crayons on the table.

“But smell good” Harry justified, reaching for a blue crayon.

“I am sure they do but what do you use to smell things” Nick asked, while trying to figure out why any one would think it was a good idea tI make crayons smell like fruits.

“Mouth?” Harry guessed with a shrug.

“Nope, your nose” Nick bopped his nose. “Why don't you eat a sandwich, if you eat all the crayons then how will you color in this lovely talking sponge"

"He name Bob" Harry smiles, showing off his now red stained teeth, somehow still looking very endearing.

"Oh of course Mr. Harry, Bob how could I be so silly." Nick says. "I do apologize Mr.Bob" Nick adds talking to the paper. He is aware that he is talking to paper and not even bothered by it.

"Silly Nick" Harry giggles. He took a bite of a ham and cheese sandwich and looked at NicI like he was waiting for him to do a trick.

"Did you just call me Nick?" Nick asks in case he misunderstood in his excitement. Harry nods earnestly twirling a finger in his hair.

"So are we friends then? I feel like we are friends" Nick states with a face splitting grin.

"I like Nick" Harry replies. Nick thinks those might just be the three words everyone grows up waiting to hear.

"Well that's just fantastic because I like Harry" Nick says ruffling Harry's curls, trying to play it cool.

Nicked helped Harry clean his mouth and didn't even care when Harry decided it would be fun to have a water fight in his very dry bathroom. Eventually he got Harry interested in eating actual food. After their mid-afternoon snack they decided the evening called for a dress up game.

Which is why Nick is dressed like the trash king when the doorbell rings. "I bet that is Louis babe, let me go open the door and you, Prince Harry think of the name of our kingdom." Nick orders before jumping into a quick rendition of his kingdoms national anthem. It's in the tune of the little mermaid, whatever.

He is about to shout a loving little insult to greet Louis when he comes face to face with Zayn.

“Wait you aren’t Louis” Nick states with a furrowed brow. He could have sworn Louis would be the one picking up Harry but that wasn’t the most troubling thing. “and also, you look like shit mate”

“Yea thanks” Zayn hiccups and attempts to sound normal. Nick doesn’t even pretend he doesn’t see the red, puffy eyes and flat hair Zayn is currently sporting. “I'm picking up Harry"

Nick had been preoccupied with entertaining Harry he had completely forgotten about the hearing. He glanced at the clock and his heart dropped when he saw it was five in the evening. The judge would have made a decision long ago and a puffy Zayn on his doorstep instead of a happy Louis, meant only one thing.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back!!! So sorry this update took so long. I hope to update more regularly. Thanks for reading!!!!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I am the worst! I am so sorry it took over a year to update! So much has happened. Zayn left One Direction, One Direction went on a break, Zayn released a solo album. Oh there was like school in there somewhere. Now I have graduated and have both 1D albums and Zayn's album for inspiration so I am back! I am really nervous about this chapter, it has a bit of all the boys' views and feelings on the trial, hope you like it!  
> P.S. sorry for grammatical mistakes! One day the comma will be conquered!

"I have taken all testimonies heard from existing and proposed guardians, the psychology and medical team, educational witnesses, and caregiver support systems into account. I’ve also had the privileged of speaking to the ward at a previous date, accompanied by professionals trained in determining intellectual abilities and proper judgment. My decision is that which holds the best interest to the ward.

I grant guardianship of Harry Edward Styles’ person and estate to his father Desmond Stephen Styles. Appointed guardian shall be responsible for all decisions relating to complete well-being of ward. Guardian and ward will relocate to New York, United States of America within one weeks’ time. Louis William Tomlinson is to forgo any and all communication once relocation has occurred, as per guardian wishes. An appeal may be filed at the office of family law after the probationary period is over.” The judge slammed his brown traitorous hammer down one last time before he rose from his seat, pristine black robes flapping behind him, seemingly taking all the air with him in his wake. 

“Louis, just breathe” someone’s urgent plea broke through the haze, he felt a hand heavy on his back, fingers being ran through his hair, the feeling of being choked very much consuming him.

How could breathing be a priority when life meant nothing without his lovely Hazza Bear? 

"It's not over Lou, we can still appeal" he was told. The words falling hollow to his ears. This was it. The judge decided that he was a risk to Harry’s life. That Des, who didn’t hesitate to give him up three years ago, was better suited to color with His Harry, hold His Harry’s hand when crossing the street, let His Harry cuddle when he was scared, be His Harry’s favorite person. 

The verdict’s reality started to seep into his core, the numbness was surrounding him. He turned to witness Des in a congratulatory hug with Harold. Sally held his gaze for a moment before regarding her feet and wiping at her face.

The only emotion he could truly recognize in him at that moment was stupidity. He had actually adopted Liam’s positive thinking nonsense. Of course he would have to say goodbye to his precious Harry. People from Doncaster didn't have luck, the x-factor was just a fluke. This was how life was always supposed to end up. A failure. In Misery. A miserable failure.

Even in his daze he couldn't bring himself to blame Liam for being an optimist. It wasn't Liam's fault that for the past three years Harry had apparently been living an unhealthy, reckless life thanks to his shitty care. He was the one the judge decided against after only a few weeks and a few stories.

Stories that didn’t paint the whole picture really. Yes, Harry did wander from their home ONCE!, and yes Harry did almost get hit by a car (again ONCE!). Louis would never deny that because those were moments that were ingrained in his brain to be replayed over and over. 

But no one took the time to mention how Louis and the boys spent hours looking for him and then spent weeks teaching him to not leave the house alone and too look both ways before crossing the street. There was even a very lengthy lesson in stranger danger. Louis went so far as to place an alarm on Harry’s bed that went off whenever Harry so much as sneezed too hard. Of course that didn't matter because he let it happen in the first place, he wasn't “prepared”, he was “neglectful”, he was too “naïve”. 

It didn't matter that he was the one who made sure Harry had three balanced meals a day and was properly clothed. It didn’t matter that he bought him toys and made sure he laughed at least a hundred times a day. It didn't matter that Louis tried to keep him safe and made sure he kept learning things; like what comes after ten or why the ‘fishy’ Zayn gave him couldn’t swim in the toilet. 

It didn’t matter that “Lou” was Harry’s first word after months of only being able to whine his needs. It didn’t matter that nearly two seconds after realizing Harry would live his life differently Des immediately drew up the paperwork to make Louis his guardian, then flew back to his life in New York and never looked back. None of it matters because he is just “a dumb kid that took on more than he could chew”.

“Lou, just try to relax a little” another voice broke through the fog. Or it was the same voice, there was too much commotion to tell the difference. His lungs felt like they were heavy with lead, suppressing their efforts to work. He was drowning in nothing but his own despair. He wanted to scream at the injustice but found that even words had deserted him. This was Hell. 

Louis abruptly stood and ran out of the courthouse not acknowledging the shouts to stop and come back.

*****  
“Yes Li, I am here, about to knock even” Zayn croaked, lowering his phone to mask the sound of a sniffle. He was still very much hiding in his car working on getting a grasp on his emotions. It was not going well.  
Even with it being nearly three hours since the decision was made Zayn still had the same cold feeling that ran through him back at the court house. The same feeling, he knew rushed through Louis’ veins, the same feeling that came to him when he heard his granddad had died all those years ago. And he knows that sounds ridiculous because Harry is very much alive and just behind Nick’s closed door but it still felt like an ending.

“Okay fine! I haven’t left my car but I’m in Nick’s driveway and that should count for something!” Zayn reasoned. He could hear Liam arguing with someone in the background before letting out a string of unseemly words. Zayn’s stomach dropped low, the sense of dread settling in. He honestly didn’t think the day could get any worse. 

“No Luck on finding Lou then?” Zayn assumed, wiping a hand over his face. He was soon relieved to hear that Louis was just still missing and not in the hospital because he had gone and done something stupid. 

Zayn felt a renewed sense of purpose run through him. Louis needed them to hold the fort. “I’m getting Harry Li, don’t worry, just find Lou”.

Zayn wiped the tears off his cheeks and forced himself to breathe deeply. 

“Get yourself together Malik” Zayn says to himself, shaking his head to clear away the surplus of emotions. Those were the same words Liam had said to him before leaving with Niall to search for Louis. 

Zayn had argued that he would be more helpful searching for Louis, that they needed all eyes available. Liam decided he was in no condition to be part of said search party, apparently that would require no tears. So he was promoted to Harry entertaining. Niall pointed out he was really in no condition for either task but needed to suck it up for Haz. 

That is why his fist is held midair preparing to knock on Nick’s front door. He can hear loud off key singing or what he thinks is supposed to be singing and the unmistakable sound of Harry cackling. A bittersweet sound that always manages to bring a smile to his face. 

The laughter can still be heard as the door opens.

“Wait you aren’t Louis” Nick states after a beat. “and also, you look like shit mate”

“Yea thanks” Zayn coughs into his fist in an attempt to sound like he hadn’t been crying for the past hour. “I'm um… picking up Harry"

Nick opens his mouth like he is about to ask a follow up question. Zayn waits patiently as Nick glances at the clock behind him. He can see the moment it clicks when Nick purses his lips, eyes falling on Harry, who is throwing his Simba doll into the air.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me" Nick utters turning back to him, opening the door wider letting Zayn inside. Before Zayn has the chance to confirm or deny Nick’s assumptions he is attacked by a lively set of arms. 

“My Zaynie!!!” Harry squeals as he pulls Zayn into his chest. Zayn can't help but chuckle as he is further engulfed and kisses are left on his head.

“Hi my Hazzy love, I am so happy to see you too” Zayn expresses as energetically as his broken voice allows. He swears he sees a flash of a camera from the corner of his eye. He can’t even be upset that he is looking a hot mess because he can keep the memory even if they can't keep Harry.

Harry doesn't seem in any hurry to let him go, which is causing a new kind of ache in his chest.

“My Zaynie here” Harry says quietly into Zayn’s hair.

“Hazzy, let me see you buddy” Zayn chuckles. Harry immediately let’s him go and steps back smiling brightly. Zayn shakes his head quite fondly at the outfit Harry’s sporting. A teal SpongeBob shirt is tucked into burgundy jeans with yellow converse covering his feet. A bright yellow novelty apron that says ‘Hotdog chef’ underneath a picture of a hotdog is tied around his neck and waist. It was all very Harry.

“See” Harry says and it's all dimples and teeth. For once in his life Liam was wrong, Zayn was not going to make it. He thought of his mantra quickly before his emotions could latch on and ruin his progress.

"There is my favorite guy” Zayn smiles through a wobble of his bottom lip. “Did you have fun with Nick?”

“Yes, Nick funny” Harry nods looking at Nick with his fingers tangled in his hair.

“Oh thank God” Nick sighs, as if the admission was the difference between life and death. Zayn knew the feeling all too well. 

"I bet that is why he is wearing what I can only assume is trash from the car” Zayn smirks as he finally takes in the old green blanket tied around Nicks neck and a crumpled Burger King crown on his head.

“It's trash from the horse drawn carriage actually” Nick says, doing a full 360 to show off his attire, puffing out his chest. “You’re in the presence of royalty here Malik”

Zayn huffs out a laugh because really Nick is an actual idiot who has his moments of hilarity. It took Zayn some time to really understand Nick. 

It wasn’t until Zayn was stranded in the airport due to snow one year that he really got to know him. Harry was staying with Nick while his house was being renovated and promptly invited Zayn to spend the night. He was a little wary of Harry’s invitation but he really didn’t feel like going back to his empty home during the holidays. He expected lots of lame jokes and deep conversations about plaid. What he got was a good time playing FiFa with Biggie playing in the background and the best stash of hash he ever thought he could get from someone who encourages the wearing of headscarves. 

“And who are you Harry? Are you the prince of Trashland?” Zayn asks.

“I cook” Harry says bending over to pick up a ladle from the floor.

"You are the cook?" Zayn questions looking to Nick. 

“He had options, he chose to be the cook. Liked the ladle” Nick says. “And also it's called Trashtopia, thank you very much”

“I do apologize, your majesty” Zayn mock bows making Harry giggle.

“My Zaynie play?” Harry questions with a big, wide-eyed hopeful look.

“I would babe, but we need to get going. I do believe there are some swings we need to get to” Zayn explains biting his lip to keep the wobble from taking over.

“Oh that's some good luck you are having today Harry” Nick smiles at him. “You saw the Lion King, we colored, had an impromptu game of flood my bathroom, hung out with the funniest King ever and now you get to go to the swings, I am so jealous”

"Yes" is all Harry says turning away, crimson slightly coloring his cheeks.

“Why don't you go use the potty before we go” Zayn suggests.

“I no go” Harry shakes his head.

“Go try for me please buddy” Zayn says gently. Harry pouts but goes to do what was asked of him. 

Zayn drops the smile that is stretching beyond what is normal. He watches Nick pick up what looks to be Harry's things, putting them in the SpongeBob bag. The bag that Zayn got Harry on a random trip to Tesco, they went to pick up some ingredients Louis needed for dinner. Originally they had returned home without the bag then Harry told Zayn how he was sad because he saw a SpongeBob bag but it wasn't his. Obviously Zayn had to go back immediately to pick it up.

“He is leaving then” Nick says quietly, zipping up the bag. Zayn can't bear to say the words aloud so he just nods, sucking in a breath.

“That's shit” Nick relays. Zayn notes the slight drop in Nick’s shoulders and the all too familiar liquid pooling in his eyes. Even though Nick’s presence hasn't been constant in the past three years, all the guys know that he truly cares about Harry and this is just a loss for him as it is for any of them.

“Agreed” Zayn says. “Louis isn't taking it so well; s’why I am here”

“Can't blame him really, is there anything that can be done?” Nick asks. 

"He can appeal but that will probably take months. There is no way he won't leave. The only thing left to do now is tell Harry” Zayn shrugs.

“I Harry” Harry says popping back into the room. Zayn puts a hand to his chest as he turns to look at him.

"You are" Zayn smiles as genuinely as he can muster. “Are you ready to go love?”

“Yes” Harry nods then turns to Nick. “Bye Nick, you nice”

“Gosh you are just the sweetest” Nick coos bringing Harry to his chest, arms going tight around him. Zayn has never seen Harry sag with happiness from a practical stranger but that was what was happening. Zayn's heart was racing as he watched. A week was way too soon to say goodbye.

“Love, you go have fun on the swings” Nick says finally, leaving a kiss on Harry's head, his voice catching slightly. Zayn shoulders the SpongeBob bag taking Harrys hand to lead them to his car. Harry turns around twice to wave at Nick who is stood on his porch. He isn’t saying anything but Zayn knows that the easy bright smile on Harry’s face that reaches his eyes is what keeps Nick from bawling. 

As Zayn throws his car into park, Harry is telling him all the things he did with Nick and attempting to tell a joke he learned that day. It was something about a lobster, Zayn doesn't get it but laughs loudly anyway, loving the glow on Harry's face. Zayn wonders if when the judge made his decision he took into account all the ways they needed Harry as much as he needed them. 

+++

Niall kicks off the ground to get the swing to start moving. It’s creaking, probably about to snap from his weight but he’ll worry about that later. As he looks to the parking lot across the park he can see Liam knocking rather madly on the glass of Louis’ range rover. They had just happened to drive by the park and just happened to see Louis pulling up in the spot. 

Both Niall and Liam had attempted to coax Louis from the car that much to their dismay still had the engine running. After about twenty minutes Niall decided it was best to leave things to the professionals, even though an hour later Liam still didn’t seem to be having any luck.

Niall can’t find the energy to continue swinging as he feels tears prickling his eyes. His face is heating up and he knows the sob that has been forming deep in his chest is only moments from escaping. He can’t even be mad that Louis had them looking all over town for him. 

He may have not legally been a caregiver to Harry but he has been there since Simon formed them back on the X-factor. And he was there when Harry got bored on tour and wanted to spend hours golfing. He was there when Harry had a broken heart or missing home. He was there when he got into his accident. He was there when he learned to walk again. And he was there when he spoke his first word. He thought he was going to be there for more play dates and watching Harry grow mentally just a little more every day. So if he cries like he is losing a child it’s because he is, they all are.

Niall is about to succumb to the tears when he receives a text from Zayn telling him that they’ve just pulled into the park. It’s less than two minutes before he can hear Harry squealing at a squirrel or ‘tree rat’ as he prefers to call them. It’s less than a minute before he sees Harry calling his name and his tears get sucked right back in for another time.

“NiNi!!” Harry bellows once he comes into view. Niall cackles as he watches Harry push Zayn a little to run for his ‘NiNi’, he even manages to leap over a bench without fumbling. What’s very entertaining is Zayn trying to run or more waddle to keep up.

“Oomph…Haz Hi” Niall greets as Harry practically glues himself to his side.

“Hi NiNi! Hi!” Harry says excitedly into Niall’s hair.

“Harry, didn’t I say to wait for me” Zayn says once he reaches them, very much out of breath.

“I not know” Harry shrugs. “Zaynie look NiNi!”

“Aww buddy I’m so happy to see you too” Niall coos leaving kisses on every inch of Harry’s face he could see. Zayn falls to the ground on his back trying to catch his breath and Harry pulls Niall down onto the sand.

“Play please?” Harry says holding onto Niall’s hand and picking up sand with the other.

“Do you want to play with the sand or get on the swings?” Niall questions to remind Harry of his options.

“Um sand n’ swing” Harry decides taking a shoe to use as a shovel.

“Okay both it is” Niall chuckles. “Shall we make Zayn’s hair prettier with some of this very pretty sand?” Niall suggests cupping some the sand into his palm.

“Don’t you dare!” Zayn springs up catching Harry’s wrist who was a lot closer to dumping sand into his hair. Harry starts to giggle when Zayn starts to tickle his side. Niall sits back with an ache in his chest, trying to ingrain that laugh into his memory for the days when he needs to hear it but it will be miles away.

“Watch him, I’m going to go see if I can help” Zayn says once Harry gets distracted with dumping sand on the grass. Niall nods, glancing to where Louis’ black Rover can be seen being shadowed by a tired looking Liam sitting against the front tire elbows braced on his knees and head in his hands.

“No worries, we will just be running into oncoming traffic” Niall replies with the required amount of cheek. 

+++

“Louis open the door” Liam pleaded for probably the twentieth time. Niall and him found him by chance sitting in his car in the parking lot of a park 10 miles from the courthouse. Which Liam is positive is too many miles for someone in the process of a full blown mental breakdown. Niall was by the swings waiting on Zayn and Harry to arrive, leaving Liam to try to talk to Louis down from wherever he was. If he could get him to open the door that is. He knocked on the window again, sighing when Louis didn't even blink or show any awareness that he acknowledged Liam's presence. 

“Mate, just open the door or like blink at least” Liam tried one last time before deciding that as long as Louis stayed stationery he couldn't get into any trouble. He passed a hand through his hair as he slid down the side of the car to the ground. 

He isn’t sure why he decided that he needed to be the one to fix everything. It was a natural instinct he really needed to suppress sometimes. Like when he says “don’t worry Niall, I’ll work Louis out no help necessary”. Help is very much necessary because he has no idea what to do and very much less what to say. Harry is going to be leaving him too and that is going to be possibly the worst pain he has ever felt. He can’t even imagine how Louis is feeling.

The only thing he has in comparison is that time he had to give away his puppy because Danielle’s allergies reached A&E levels. He definitely cried for a week but as luck would have it his precious Harry cured his sadness with just one smile and one horribly hilarious joke.

“Bro” Liam heard behind him, he turned and sighed with relief.

“Oh thank god, I thought he was only going to have my shit words as comfort” Liam said as Zayn sits on the ground next to him. He lays his freshly cut head on Zayn’s cotton clad shoulder and exhales loudly.

“Sorry Haz didn't want to get out of the car cause this isn't the usual park he goes to and Louis wasn't going to find him” Zayn's voice cracks towards the end, Liam squeezes his hand. 

"To be honest not even your wise words are going to make him feel better, cause I mean this is shit” Liam states bitterly.

"I really thought he was going to stay” Zayn says looking behind them to see Harry cackling while pushing Niall on a swing.

“Me too man, I feel we should sue. I don't know who but someone should be sued” Liam says reaching up to curl a finger in Zayn’s quiff.

“We probably can't sue but we can take Hazza to see the sheep we passed on the way here, he says they look nice” Zayn informs after a few moments of silence. Liam can tell that he is trying not to cry by the intensity in which he was biting his bottom lip.

“Then we are going to see us some sheep tomorrow. I’m going to go tell them” Liam nods standing up and cleaning off his jeans. “Good Luck”

+++

Zayn stuffs his hands into the front of his hoodie and takes a deep breath as he walks around to the passenger side of the car. He has no idea what he could possibly say but knows for a fact he has not had enough experiences to be helpful. But he was sure going to try.

He peers through the window to see Louis sat gripping the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. From the outside Zayn could see the keys still in the ignition, almost as if Louis was ready to drive off but then lost the will. Zayn uses the spare key from his pocket to unlock the door. Gingerly he sits on the edge of the seat and slowly reaches over to tug the keys out and away just in case.

“Louis it’s going to be— “Zayn starts when the silence drags on for far too long.

“Don’t!” Louis practically growls. He punches the top of the dashboard before curling into himself and letting out the most pitiful sob. Zayn’s resolve vanishes completely by this point.

“I don’t know what we are going to do but we will do it Lou, it’s not over!” Zayn says, adding a forlorn “it can’t be over”

“I heard it with my own ears Zayn, it’s over” Louis says roughly wiping at his moistened cheeks. His face looks pinched and haggard, movements full of grief. 

“There has to be something Lou, I’m sure that Ri- “ 

“There is nothing!” Louis yells finally looking in Zayn’s direction. “Des, who wasn’t even in Harry’s life before the accident and was barely there, after is going to take our Haz, my sweet, sweet Hazza” Louis cries. 

“Lou” Zayn utters letting the tears fall freely. He had no words of comfort to offer. There is nothing he could say to make this better.

After a few beats of breathy hiccups Louis releases a breath.

“Is Des really going to give him fruit loops for breakfast? No! it’s going to be like Cheerios or some equally, healthy disgusting piece of cardboard that Harry hates but Des won’t care because he is an adult and all knowing.” Louis shakes his fist in the air.

“Who is going to take him to the swings and push him as high as Niall? And who is going to read him a billion bed time stories with all the right and not ridiculous voices like Liam? Certainly not Des and Pam, they have probably never even heard of SpongeBob. Des is going to read him the newspaper or Time magazine and let Pam take him to the salon. He is going to be miserable Zayn”

“Lou please…” 

“The monsters Zayn. Harry says that you are the only person on the whole planet that can scare away the monsters. It’s never enough when I try, I always do it wrong and have to call you. And you must be made of magic because your two second phone call with those dirt bags keeps them away for at least two nights. The monsters are going to get him” Louis sobs. Zayn stops pretending that he has any words of consolation to offer and sobs along with him. He lets the tears pour down his face nowhere near as rampaged as Louis’ own but just as heartfelt.

“Even if he is taken away, we will get him back, even if I have to kidnap him myself. No way in hell I’m letting Haz eat fuckin’ Cheerios” Zayn vows pulling Louis into his arms and letting him cling to him as he weeps.


End file.
